Development of a Personalized and Low-Cost 3D-Printed Liver Model for Preoperative Planning of Hepatic Resections

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing offers new opportunities in surgical planning and medical education, yet high costs and technological complexity often limit its widespread use, especially in low-resource settings. This study presents a personalized, cost-effective, and anatomically accurate liver model designed using open-source tools and affordable 3D-printing techniques. Segmentation of hepatic CT images was performed in 3D Slicer using a region-growing method, and the resulting models were optimized and exported as STL files. The external mold was printed with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) using PLA+, while internal structures such as vessels and tumors were fabricated via Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) printing using PLA Pro resin. The final assembly was cast in food-grade gelatin to mimic liver tissue texture. The complete model was produced for under USD 50, with an average total production time of under 128 h. An exploratory pedagogical evaluation with five medical trainees yielded high Likert scores for anatomical understanding (4.6), spatial awareness (4.4), planning confidence (4.2), and realism (4.4). This model demonstrated utility in preoperative discussions and training simulations. The proposed workflow enables the fabrication of low-cost, realistic hepatic phantoms suitable for education and surgical rehearsal, promoting the integration of 3D printing into everyday clinical practice.