Context: Despite the current era of precision surgery in robotics, an unmet need still remains for optimal surgical planning and navigation for most genitourinary diseases. 3D virtual reconstruction of 2D cross-sectional imaging has been increasingly adopted to help surgeons better understand the surgical anatomy.
Objectives: To provide a short overview of the most recent evidence on current applications of 3D imaging in robotic urologic surgery.
Evidence acquisition: A non-systematic review of the literature was performed. Medline, PubMed, the Cochrane Database and Embase were screened for studies regarding the use of 3D models in robotic urology.
Evidence synthesis: 3D reconstruction technology creates 3D virtual and printed models that first appeared in urology to aid surgical planning and intraoperative navigation, especially in the treatment of oncological diseases of the prostate and kidneys. The latest revolution in the field involves models overlapping onto the real anatomy and performing augmented reality procedures.
Conclusion: 3D virtual/printing technology has entered daily practice in some tertiary centres, especially for the management of urological tumours. The 3D models can be virtual or printed, and can help the surgeon in surgical planning, physician education and training, and patient counselling. Moreover, integration of robotic platforms with the 3D models and the possibility of performing augmented reality surgeries increase the surgeon's confidence with the pathology, with potential benefits in precision and tailoring of the procedures.
Keywords: 3D printed models; Augmented reality; HA3D; Mixed reality; Robotics; Urological malignancies.