A Reflection on the Use of Additive Manufacturing in Nephrology for Education and Surgical Planning

Additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional printing (3DP) is a new technology known for rapid fabrication of customized or finely detailed parts with decreased cost. The technology uses the principle of layer by layer-based manufacturing of parts following the bottom-up approach. In recent years, AM technologies have seen a rapid development in various fields of engineering, medical, and aeronautics. Development in technology and biomaterials has made AM more novel and approachable techniques for complex medical treatments. In the current work, a reflection on the use of AM technology in the field nephrology has been presented. At present, AM technologies are used in conceptualizing and fabricating urological instruments, planning surgeries, and educating the apprentices and patients. The review primarily aimed to present the use of AM for education and surgical planning in nephrology. The study will also discuss the limitation and future scope of AM in the field of nephrology.