3D models for medicine.
Text: Reto Caluori
The rapid adoption of 3D printing in the world of medicine is leading to a steady stream of new applications in hospitals. At Basel University Hospital, the technique is used to manufacture implants and to plan complex operations in advance.
3D printers facilitate the production of precisely fitting implants. The models are created using data from imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Based on these cross-sectional images, the University Hospital can use its own 3D printers to create a full-scale model that precisely replicates an individual patient’s anatomy.
Interpreting CT scans on a screen is a challenging task – even with the help of 3D simulations. By contrast, the printed models allow physicians to intuitively grasp anatomical relationships, the course of different tissues, and the overall dimensions. As a result, physicians can gain a precise idea of the situation they will encounter during operations, such as when dealing with skull and facial fractures, kidney tumors or complex heart surgery.
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If the bone fails to heal and must be removed following an operation, the resulting hole in the skull leaves the brain beneath unprotected. Physicians plan to reseal the cranium using an artificial plate. A visual 3D scan of the patient’s skull is created; surgeon Dr. Dr. Florian Thieringer shows the data on the tablet. (Image: University of Basel, Christian Flierl)link.zoom -
Radiologist Dr. Philipp Brantner prepares the CT data for 3D printing in order to create an exact anatomical replica. (Photo: University of Basel, Christian Flierl)link.zoom -
University Hospital Basel has more than 20 different printers, which can produce models from plastics and titanium, as well as from sterilizable, medically certified materials. (Bild: Universität Basel, Christian Flierl)link.zoom -
The model of the skull with a hole in one side is created using a 3D powder printer in a technique that makes do without supporting structures. (Bild: Universität Basel, Christian Flierl)link.zoom -
Precise replicas make it easier to plan surgeries. They also provide an ideal visual aid for patient consultations and for training purposes – in red, the model of the artificial skull plate. (Bild: Universität Basel, Christian Flierl)link.zoom -
The implant, which was created using the 3D-printed template, allows the team of surgeons to seal the defect in the cranium. (Bild: Universität Basel, Christian Flierl)link.zoom
The models have also proven to be a useful visual aid in teaching and training when explaining planned operations to patients. Moreover, 3D printers allow implants to be designed with high precision so that surgeons can operate faster, more accurately and with greater success. Patients therefore benefit from shorter sedation times, and the hospital saves on expensive minutes spent in the operating room.
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