A 3D printed model of a kidney has been used in a life-saving transplant operation on a young Belfast mother in a medical first. Pauline Fenton, 22, had been living with end-stage kidney disease and was wholly reliant on dialysis. This is the point at which surgeons at Belfast City Hospital made the decision to use an innovative 3D printed replica model of the father’s donor kidney. Mr Brown said the model allowed him to plan the life-saving surgery in detail. Daniel Crawford, the founder of Belfast company axial3D who produced the model said that improving outcomes is at the core of what they do.

Source: Irish Examiner January 22, 2018 00:00 UTC