---
title: "Italian hospital scaling 3D surgical planning"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/italian-hospital-scaling-3d-surgical-planning/
date: 2026-02-06
modified: 2026-02-06
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "A urological surgery team at IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino in Genoa, Italy, has fully integrated 3D surgical planning into routine clinical practice. Nearly 300 kidney tumor reconstruction procedures have..."
categories:
  - "Medical AM"
  - "Medical Models"
  - "Medical Research"
  - "Personalized Medicine"
  - "Research & Education"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/materialise-mimics-augmented-reality-3d-planning-operation-room-640x400.jpg
word_count: 306
---

# Italian hospital scaling 3D surgical planning

A urological surgery team at IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino in Genoa, Italy, has fully integrated 3D surgical planning into routine clinical practice. Nearly 300 kidney tumor reconstruction procedures have been completed, using patient-specific digital models since 2020.

Professor Paolo Traverso, a urologist at the institution, has led the transition of 3D planning from a research tool to a standard component of his team’s surgical workflow. They have reduced the time required to generate a 3D model from 90 minutes to 25 minutes, through workflow refinement and the use of Materialise's Mimics InPrint software.

The 3D reconstructions enabled real-time collaboration among surgeons, radiologists, and engineers working in a shared surgical block. “Improved collaboration and more informed planning are two of the benefits we've seen in our procedures thanks to 3D reconstructions,” Traverso stated.

![IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino has used Materialise platform to accurately map patient anatomy in 300 kidney tumor reconstructions](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/professor-traverso-3d-planning-materialise-mimics-viewer-340x213.jpg)

The surgical team developed a research methodology to calculate the real contact surface area between anatomical structures using detailed 3D reconstructions created in Materialise’s platform. 

“Intraoperatively, having a patient-specific anatomical model — a 'digital twin' — enables confident decision-making at every stage,” added Traveso. The models helped surgeons identify anatomical details that remained obscured in traditional imaging, and surgical plans were refined during procedures based on enhanced anatomical understanding.

While the 3D planning platform is not certified for clinical use in oncology, the reconstructions supported research that led to findings being published in peer-reviewed literature. They are also being used to train residents and younger surgeons. 

“From the beginning, my goal in proposing the adoption of a 3D reconstruction system at IRCCS San Martino was to provide all surgical colleagues with a new tool to assess patients and plan surgeries,” explained Traverso who, with his team, is now developing an intra-body navigation system based on the digital twin concept.

The aim: real-time, autonomous alignment of 3D reconstructions with the surgeon's field of view.