Integrating augmented reality and 3D printing into liver surgery

The liver is the central metabolic organ of the human body. A functional failure of this organ is life-threatening. Since carcinomas of the liver and surrounding tissue are often only detected at an advanced stage of disease, the prognosis for the affected patient is poor. The 5-year survival rates are around 20%.

During the surgical treatment of the patient, the affected liver structures will be removed. The so-called partial liver resection must be very exactly pre-planned by the surgeons, so that the blood supply of the remaining liver tissue is still ensured. In collaboration with Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, HumanX therefore worked on improving preoperative planning and intraoperative support for surgeons.

The team led by Professor Igor Sauer, Head of Experimental Surgery at Charité, has come a great deal closer to the goal of integrating augmented reality and 3D printing into treatment. Together, we developed a practical solution for liver surgery. The results are impressive, as they now allow the operating surgeon an intraoperative 3D representation of the important vascular structures of the liver as well as the included tumor structure. 

For HumanX, the collaboration with the Charité represents a step into the reconstruction of complex tumor pathologies. Today, the creation of patient-specific training models with highlighted tumor is part of our basic portfolio.