3D Printing and Personalized Airway Stents

Abstract

In recent years, the 3D printing industry has undergone rapid development. Clinicians and researchers have begun to apply this technology in procedural planning, tissue engineering, and device manufacturing. Rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing techniques in the healthcare field have already yielded very exciting results and point to a bright future involving these technologies. This is especially true in pulmonology. 3D printing industry growth is accompanied by increased availability of 3D printers and printable materials, which offers exciting arrays of possible applications. In this review, we present a brief history of 3D printing and its applications in the medical field with a focus on pulmonology. Additionally, we describe a methodology on how to 3D model and print personalized airway prosthesis via 3D Slicer and a commercial 3D printer. We hope this will help to stimulate additional innovation and application of 3D printing in medicine.