article_snippet: After they removed My appendix, I began wondering whether 3D technology might be helpful with my kidney operation.
article_snippet: He’d heard of 3D being used in orthopaedic operations such as hip replacements but, as far as my consultant, urological surgeon Bhaskar Somani knew, it hadn’t been used with this kind of procedure.
article_snippet: It’s quite complex surgery
article_snippet: But I felt having a 3D model as well would give us even more detail: I’d be able to hold the model, take the model apart, see the exact location of a kidney stone and plan the precise angle of us surgical instruments.
article_snippet: I kept a 3D model throughout the surgery to consolidate what I was seeing on screen.
article_snippet: This was done under X-ray guidance.
article_snippet: Next, I passed a hollow tube known as a dilator into this tract, to enlarge a hollow tube known as a dilator, so us could then insert a telescope, allowing images to be produced on screen.
article_snippet: Throughout a keyhole procedure called percutaneous nephrolithotomy, having the model as a point of reference was very useful, allowing me to visualise in 3D what was happening at each stage.
article_snippet: I hope this technology soon becomes widely available.
article_snippet: It’s also useful to show the patient a model when explaining the procedure, and a model could also help in training the surgeons of tomorrow.
article_snippet: A model like this is certainly the way forward for this sort of surgery.