Three-dimensional printing and pediatric liver disease.
Enthusiastic physicians and medical researchers are investigating the role of three-dimensional printing in medicine. The purpose of the current review is to provide a concise summary of the role of three-dimensional printing technology as it relates to the field of pediatric hepatology and liver transplantation.



Our group and others have recently demonstrated the feasibility of printing three-dimensional livers with identical anatomical and geometrical landmarks to the native liver to facilitate presurgical planning of complex liver surgeries. Medical educators are exploring the use of three-dimensional printed organs in anatomy classes and surgical residencies. Moreover, mini-livers are being developed by regenerative medicine scientist as a way to test new drugs and, eventually, whole livers will be grown in the laboratory to replace organs with end-stage disease solving the organ shortage problem.



From presurgical planning to medical education to ultimately the bioprinting of whole organs for transplantation, three-dimensional printing will change medicine as we know in the next few years.
aDepartment of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cleveland Clinic bDigestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Naim
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Alkhouri
Nizar N
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Zein
D062028:Bioprinting; D002648:Child; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000193:education; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States