When surgeons at IU Health need a precise, physical model of a patient’s tumor or anatomy before performing a surgery, they no longer have to wait weeks for a third-party vendor to deliver one. With the IU Health 3D Print Studio, one of the first FDA-cleared, hospital-based 3D printing programs in the US, doctors can produce a patient-specific anatomical model in as little as 24 hours.
Such speed matters enormously for cancer patients, where treatment timelines are tight. “When we see a patient, we’re just trying to get them into surgery as fast as possible,” said Dr. Avinash Mantravadi, associate professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at IU Health. With an on-site lab, that urgency is met immediately: “We can see a patient, have them in surgery next week, but still have that model ahead of time.”
The digital twins are created directly from each patient’s own imaging studies and serve several purposes beyond accelerating scheduling. Surgeons use them for pre-operative planning, helping care teams map out complex procedures before anyone enters the operating room. They also serve as powerful communication tools. “Oftentimes patients will come in with advanced conditions where you have to perform procedures that are really hard to digest,” Mantravadi said. Holding a physical model of their own anatomy transforms that conversation.
Cost savings are another meaningful benefit. Bringing production in-house eliminates vendor fees that would otherwise be passed on to patients and the health system. “The more of this we’re able to do in-house, it’s going to be a tremendous cost savings,” said Dr. Christopher Collier, musculoskeletal oncology division chief.
For IU Health, the studio brings more than operational efficiency. As Mantravadi put it, an in-house 3D print lab “puts us on the frontlines of techniques that we would consider to be cutting edge.”
