Erlanger urologist Dr. Chris Keel holds a 3-D model of a patient’s kidney that he used to prepare for surgery. The blue color represents tumor on the kidney.Online:
For more information about 3D Ops, visit 3dops.co
Ricky Crowe didn’t realize how big the tumor on his kidney was until he was in the recovery room.
His surgeon, Dr. Chris Keel, walked in with a three-dimensional, full-size model and Crowe saw for the first time the growth winding around his kidney.
“I’d seen the pictures, but I just didn’t understand it until he showed me that,” Crowe said. “It helped a lot.”
More patients at Erlanger hospital will have Crowe’s experience as a result of a contract the hospital signed Wednesday with 3D Ops, a local tech startup that hopes to launch a nationwide network of 3-D printing centers to give surgeons and patients a real-life look at damaged organs before starting surgery.