---
title: "Prepping for Surgery With 3D-Printed Organs May Become Commonplace"
description: "As the technology becomes cheaper and more common, surgeons may find themselves routinely practicing for an operation with 3D-printed organs."
date: "2019-06-20"
modified: "2019-06-20"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/surgery-3d-printed-organs"
categories:
  - "3D Printing"
  - "Future Materials"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "3d printing"
  - "medicine"
  - "surgery"
  - "the digest"
---

# Prepping for Surgery With 3D-Printed Organs May Become Commonplace

![As the technology becomes cheaper and more common, surgeons may find themselves routinely practicing for an operation with 3D-printed organs.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/surgery-3d-printed-organs.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Shutterstock/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Measure Twice

Many doctors are using 3D-printed [replicas of human organs](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/researchers-3d-printed-heart-human-tissue>) to practice for complex surgeries like transplants.

Technology is still expensive, but *[Knowable Magazine](<https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/technology/2019/how-3-d-printing-could-help-shape-surgery>)*[ reports](<https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/technology/2019/how-3-d-printing-could-help-shape-surgery>) that as 3D printing gets cheaper, rehearsing a surgery on a 3D-printed replica of a specific patient's organ could become the norm rather than the exception — a bizarre example of how emerging technology could make personalized medicine cheaper and safer for more patients.

## Surgery Simulator

As these organs become more realistic, they can help surgeons prepare for more urgent surgeries such as time-sensitive tumor removals. University of Rochester urologist told *Knowable Magazine* that he was inspired to create a realistic model kidney so that surgeons would be able to practice avoiding the organ's many [blood vessels](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-3d-print-muscular-tissue-space>).

"I just wanted something that looks like a kidney that bleeds," he said. "The surgeon is able to do the procedure from the beginning to the very end."

## Slow Going

While the actual technology seems to be progressing rapidly, the insurance industry and policymakers are lagging behind.

*Knowable Magazine* reports that insurance companies don't cover patient-specific models, and only one software package for 3D printing organs has been approved by the FDA thus far.

**READ MORE**: [How 3-D printing could help shape surgery](<https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/technology/2019/how-3-d-printing-could-help-shape-surgery>) \[*Knowable Magazine*\]

**More on 3D-printed organs**: *[Researchers Create First Ever 3D-Printed Heart Using Human Tissue](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/researchers-3d-printed-heart-human-tissue>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)