Four-year-old donates her 3D printed abdomen and kidney to science museum

A four-year-old girl from Northern Ireland has donated the 3D models used to carry out her life-saving kidney transplant to London’s Science Museum.

Lucy Boucher, from Antrim in Northern Ireland, had the successful transplant in November 2015, after her father Chris donated his kidney. Surgeons at Guy’s Hospital used 3D printing to help accurately plan the surgery and reduce the potential risks.

They printed models of Lucy’s ten kilogram abdomen and Chris’ kidney, allowing them to anticipate potential issues with the surgery in advance.

According to the hospital, it was the first time in the world that 3D printing was used to assist kidney transplant surgery involving an adult donor and child recipient.

Lucy and her father have now donated the 3D prints to the Science Museum, where they will feature as part of the new Medicine Galleries, due to open in 2019.

Chris said: “It was a great privilege for Lucy to hand the models over. We never expected such a lovely thing to result from something that began as a dark, horrible experience when Lucy developed heart failure as a baby and then kidney failure, and then needed dialysis treatment until she had her transplant.

“Lucy is thriving – the kidney is working well in her, she’s grown a lot, her appetite is excellent, she’s now at nursery and enjoying ballet classes. Being part of the exhibition is a great testament to what a lot of medics in the NHS are doing and how by being determined, innovative and forward thinking they are making healthcare the best it can be.

“We are very excited to be part of the new exhibition. One of my earliest memories as a young boy was visiting the Science Museum on holiday in London so it’s a bit bizarre that the models of Lucy and I will be on permanent display there. It’s wonderful to think that I’ll still be able to go to the museum to look at the models when I’m an old man.

“Seeing the models before Lucy’s transplant helped me to understand what would happen and eased my concerns about the surgery. It was reassuring to know that the surgeons could plan the operation in such detail before it took place.”

Pankaj Chandak, is the transplant registrar at Guy’s who developed the use of the 3D printed models for Lucy’s surgery.

He said: “I’m delighted that these models will be on display at the Science Museum. It’s wonderful to see how well Lucy is doing and it’s an honour to know that millions of people of all ages will be able to learn about the models and Lucy’s surgery when they visit the Science Museum.

“3D printing is an exciting development and in Lucy’s case meant that we could plan to overcome the complexities that transplanting an adult sized donor kidney into a child’s small abdomen can bring. It allows surgical teams to simulate the operation in advance and identify any potential challenges that may occur, before the patient is on the operating table, by using replicas which are the next best thing to the actual organs.”

Both models took over ten hours to print and used materials “which best matched the bony, hard pelvis and softer structures such as the liver, adding texture to them” according to the hospital.

Selina Hurley, the Science Museum’s Curator of Medicine, said: “At the Science Museum, we endeavour to collect stories as well as objects to join the national collections. These models represent a powerful example of one family’s story of a life-changing transplant operation but also the potential uses of 3D printing technology in surgery and medicine.”