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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Thoracic Oncology
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1526592
From Virtual to Reality: Application of a Novel 3D Printing Hollow Model for Early-Stage Lung Cancer in the Clinical Teaching of Thoracoscopic Sublobar Resection
Provisionally accepted- Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, China
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The integration of medical-engineering interdisciplinary technology has transformed clinical skills and anatomical knowledge teaching. Three-dimensional printing (3DP), an innovative tool, shows promise in enhancing surgical training and anatomical understanding. This study evaluates the educational efficacy of a 3DP lung cancer model optimized for surgery in teaching thoracoscopic sublobar resection.Methods: A total of 62 clinical interns were randomly assigned into two groups: a 3D visualization (3DV) model group and a 3DP model group. Pre-and post-teaching test scores were compared to assess the effectiveness of both models in enhancing anatomical knowledge and surgical skills. Additionally, feedback was collected from the interns regarding the advantages of each model.There was no significant difference in the pre-teaching test scores between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, post-teaching scores in the 3DP group were significantly higher than those in the 3DV group (P < 0.05). Survey feedback revealed that the 3DV group excelled in convenience (P < 0.001), while the 3DP group demonstrated superiority in the ease of knowledge acquisition and understanding of vascular spatial relationships (P < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding model intuitiveness and identification of the lung segment range influenced by the safety margin (P > 0.05).The 3DP model, featuring a transparent hollow sublobar boundary, significantly improved comprehension of complex anatomical relationships and enhanced teaching outcomes in surgical skills. It offers an innovative and effective tool for teaching thoracoscopic sublobar resection, with potential applications in surgical navigation.Sublobar resection.
Keywords: Medical Education, Clinical teaching, 3D visualization, 3D printing, Sublobar resection
Received: 12 Nov 2024; Accepted: 21 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Miao, Li, Yu, Guo, Li, Zhang, Cheng, Li and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Di Yang, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.