Application of three-dimensional reconstruction and 3D printing in minimally invasive lung surgery

With the increasing incidence rate of lung cancer and the popularization of low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) examination, more and more patients with pulmonary nodules are diagnosed in time. Thoracoscopic surgery is safe and feasible for such patients, its advantages are small trauma, less pain, fast recovery, and does not increase the occurrence of surgical complications, nor reduce the long-term effect. The popularization of the concept of precision surgery is mainly reflected in the subpulmonary lobectomy under thoracoscopy, which has become the development trend of pulmonary surgical treatment. However, the vessels and bronchi in the pulmonary segment are all embedded in the lung tissue, and the anatomical structure is relatively complex. The anatomical variation has obvious individual difference. During the operation, the wrong judgment of the pulmonary segment bronchus, pulmonary vessels and other anatomical structures will cause tracheal injury, hemoptysis, atelectasis and other complications. Traditional lung surgery programs and surgical procedures are based on imaging data such as chest CT and years of practical experience accumulated by the surgeon, relying on their knowledge of anatomy and space imagination in the brain to build three-dimensional structure of the lungs, but ordinary CT is two-dimensional images, bronchi and vessels for precise positioning and judgment anatomical variation, special course details such as difficult. In this case, in recent years, the three-dimensional reconstruction and 3D printing technology which based on medical imaging and digital medicine has developed rapidly, which can directly reflect the anatomical structure, shape and size of pulmonary lesions and the relationship with adjacent tissues and organs, and can carry out preoperative planning and intraoperative navigation, and plays an important role in the thoracoscopic subpulmonary lobectomy which has complex anatomical structure and individual differences. At the same time, three-dimensional reconstruction and 3D printing technology also play an active role in doctor-patient communication, interpretation of the disease, clinical teaching and so on.