The application of VATS (Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery) for a variety of
thoracic surgical procedures has increased the technical complexity of these
procedures, especially in long-sparing oncological resections. Pre-operative assessment
of procedural feasibility is imperative for these new techniques and approaches,
making imaging modalities increasingly important for the diagnosis and treatment of
lung cancer. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of these two-dimensional images
can aid in a better visuospatial understanding of thoracic anatomy. Using this method,
tumors can be localized precisely with respect to their anatomical borders, possibly
leading to an increase in the use of sublobar resections. Furthermore, deviant vascular
anatomy can be detected pre-operatively, potentially facilitating the procedures. In
order to create a tangible model, rapid prototyping (more commonly known as 3D
printing) can facilitate a better understanding of pulmonary vascular anatomy and
anatomical relations to the tumor. Additionally, these models can be used to improve
patient counseling and result in higher patient knowledge scores. We foresee these
techniques to evolve rapidly in the nearby future, with the introduction of whole-slide
scanning, 3D scanning and bioprinting. For diagnosis and treatment of thoracic disease,
these methods will undoubtedly prove useful for many processes.
Keywords: Computed tomography, Imaging, Lung cancer, Lung surgery,
Lobectomy, Preoperative planning, Rapid prototyping, Segmentectomy, Surgical
simulation, Three-dimensional printing, Three-dimensional reconstruction.
