ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1596577
3D PRINTING FOR ADVANCED SURGICAL PLANNING IN VETERINARY MEDICINE - CASE STUDIES, METHODS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
Provisionally accepted
Ramon Rodrigues Lima1
Lucas Rannier R. A. Carvalho1,2*- 1University Center of João Pessoa, João Pessoa, Brazil
- 2Karolinska Institutet (KI), Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
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Introduction: Conventional surgical planning in veterinary medicine is based on two-dimensional imaging, while advanced planning incorporates technologies such as three-dimensional reconstruction and virtual simulations. 3D printing has emerged as a promising tool, providing greater precision and customization of surgical procedures. The objective of the study is to analyze the applicability of 3D technology for surgical planning in veterinary medicine. Methods: The physical model is materialized using different techniques, such as stereolithography (SLA), selective laser melting (SLM), and fused deposition modeling (FDM), the latter being the most accessible and used in this report. To construct the digital models, the CT data are processed using inVesalius 3.1 software, a Brazilian program for segmentation and rendering of medical images. The resulting model is exported in .stl format and refined using Blender® software. The final printing is performed using the FDM method, using a slicer software, such as Ultimaker Cura®, which converts the 3D model into layers and generates commands for the printer. This process allows greater control over parameters such as temperature and speed, ensuring precision in the production of physical models. Results: Five different cases using 3D technology for surgical planning in dogs were described. In the first three cases, complete skulls were printed for oncological and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery; in the last cases the areas of surgical interest were portions of the spinal column, the atlantoaxial region, and the thoracolumbar vertebrae. Conclusion: 3D printing has been gaining ground in veterinary medicine, becoming a valuable tool in surgical planning and simulations. Even with the known relevance of new 3D technologies, more studies are needed in the development of new available materials, combination of techniques, accessibility, and medical education for the use of new applications and possibilities of 3D printing.
Keywords: 3D printing, Dogs, Veterinary Medicine, Surgery, Preoperative planning
Received: 19 Mar 2025; Accepted: 13 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lima and Carvalho. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lucas Rannier R. A. Carvalho, Karolinska Institutet (KI), Solna, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
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