**Introduction/Hypothesis:**
Complex surgical operations historically have been developed and performed for practice on cadaveric human specimens, if possible, or on human subjects. Complex congenital conditions, for instance those associated with congenital heart disease, do not usually afford that opportunity simply through lack of suitable cadaveric specimens. Providing surgeons with a method to practice these operations can give them a significant advantage going into the operating room. Our objective is to generate a 3D printed patient-specific anatomy model of tracheas with complete tracheal rings and tracheal stenosis associated with left pulmonary artery sling (LPA Sling). We will then conduct a surgical simulation to analyze the potential benefits of practicing the slide tracheoplasty on the bench prior to complex repair.

**Methods**
The patient’s chest CT was imported into an image segmentation program (Synopsys Simpleware Software). The trachea was then segmented, and a digital 3D model was generated. The 3D model was then printed using Digital Anatomy Printers™ (Stratasys) which print cuttable, sewable, and operable models made of material that mimics human tissue. The surgeon then performed a complete simulation of the slide tracheoplasty repair on the 3D printed model.

**Results**
The printed trachea was accurate in both dimension and material composition to the trachea, and the surgeon was able to practice the operation as many times as needed before doing the complex operation on the patient.

**Conclusion**
This illustrates how next-generation surgical planning and practice can bridge the gap between actual patients and generalized surgical technique for both trainees and practicing surgeons and can be implemented into patient care.



Patient-Specific 3D Models for Surgical Simulation of a Slide Tracheoplasty