Objective: The aim of this brief report was to present and evaluate workflow of preparation of lowcost individual silicone replicas of kidneys for laparoscopic training and surgical simulation of difficult nephron sparing surgeries.
Methods: The work flow consists of four steps: 1.Image segmentation; 2.Casting mould designing; 3.Manufacturing of casting mould; 4.Silicone replica casting. To evaluate the cost and time required to execute the presented method, authors prepared 5 silicone models for 5 consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic kidney tumorectomy due to renal cell cancer.
Results: Average times of image segmentation, casting mould design, casting mould printing and pouring of silicon replicas were 94 min, 22 min, 14 h and 30 min, respectively. Average costs of casting mould printing and casting of silicon replica were 14.4$ and 7.4$ respectively.
Conclusion: The presented technique is simple to perform and beyond basic 3D printer it does not require any other expensive equipment. The final silicone model reproduces shape and elasticity of the living organ and has similar mechanical strength. These properties of silicone replica in combination with the presented technique can be used to prepare other artificial organs, ready for a simulation of treatment.