There Is a Great Future in Plastics: Personalized Approach to the Management of Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Using a 3-D-Printed Liver Model

In recent years, three-dimensional (3-D) printing technology has become a standard tool that is used in several medical applications such as education, surgical training simulation and planning, and doctor-patient communication. Although liver surgery is ideally complemented by the use of preoperative 3-D-printed models, only a few publications have addressed this topic. We report the case of a 29-year-old Caucasian woman admitted for a Klatskin tumor infiltrating the right portal vein requiring surgery that required complex vascular reconstruction. A life-sized liver model with colorful plastic vessels and realistic looking tumor was created with the aim of planning an optimal surgical approach. According to the 3-D model, we performed a right hepatic trisectionectomy, also removing en bloc the tract of portal vein encased by the tumor and the neoplastic thrombus, followed by a complex vascular reconstruction between the main portal vein and the left portal branch. After 22 months of follow-up, the patient was alive and continuing chemotherapy. The use of the 3-D models in liver surgery helps clarify several useful preoperative issues. The accuracy of the model regarding anatomical findings was high. In the case of complex vascular reconstruction strategies, rational use of 3-D printing technology should be implemented.