As medical organizations such as the VHA and Mayo Clinic are positioning themselves to become medical device manufacturers using 3D printing technologies, it opens opportunities and challenges.

Although certainly not a given, many researchers and companies are pursing the eventual goal of bioprinting human organs, starting with the three-dimensional printing of a structure that has cellular function. If organ function via bioprinting becomes a reality for the skin, bone, lung, liver, eye and/or kidney, among other potential organs, the market opportunity could be in the billions. But challenges, including cost and ethics, stand in the way of this milestone in regenerative medicine.

Less-invasive technologies to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia are fast becoming viable alternatives to medication and surgery. Landmark studies of newer techniques have led the American Urological Association to update its guidelines.