Objective: The objective of the study was to design and produce a 3D bioprinter and to evaluate its potential uses in the field of Pediatric Surgery. The design and production of the device whose coordinates could be given with computer-controlled code and having the ability to move in three axes and print the contents of the cartridge on the stationary print bed were realized at the university 3D design and printing laboratories. The Ferret programming language was used for programming and exterior design was made according to the standard laminar cabin dimensions. A 20% gelatin (Sigma Aldrich, MI, USA) solution was used for three-dimensional bioprinting tests. For test bioprints scaffold model used in the field of tissue engineering, for open wound experimental dressing model and for organ-like structures ear model were selected. Scaffold structure was designed with Solidworks (Dassault Systemes,Velizy-Villacoublay, FR) software and open wound experimental dressing model was designed in Fusion360 (Autodesk, CA, USA) software. As an organ-like model, the ear structure has been segmented from the computed tomography images with Synapse3D (Fujifilm, Tokyo, JP) software and converted into “.stl” file. Our device was produced as a machine that can move in the x, y and z axes and can press the sterile syringe contents into the Petri dish in three dimensions. The three-dimensional prints of the scaffold, the experimental wound dressing model obtained from the wound photo and organ model obtained from the CT scan were successfully bioprinted. We think that three-dimensional bioprinters have a great potential in tissue engineering studies in the field of pediatric surgery and will add a brand-new dimension to our research capabilities. We conceive that recurrent cases of hypospadias which especially need tissue reinforcement, diaphragmatic and anterior abdominal wall defects seem to be the primary areas of study.

No abstract