Doctors can now practice prostatectomies virtually

Virtual survey training. (Image courtesy 3D Systems.)
Virtual survey training. (Image courtesy 3D Systems.)

3D Systems has released the very first virtual reality robotic prostatectomy simulation training, created to assist in the education and planning of robotic surgical procedures.

“Individualized patient-specific soft tissue 3D printing allows surgeons and trainees the opportunity to operate on a model that looks and feels just like their patient’s kidney tumor,” said Dr. Jonathan Silberstein, Assistant Professor of Urology, Chief, Section of Urologic Oncology, Tulane University School of Medicine, in a press release. “This technology has the potential to reinvent the way we teach and train our young surgeons and for experienced surgeons adapting to a new technology such as robotics, it will flatten the learning curve.”

If you’re not too squeamish, there’s a more detailed video about how it works here.

Maria Korolov