The 3D model revealed the twists and turns in the cerebral blood vessels
The surgeons needed to operate to correct a weakness, or aneurysm, in a
blood vessel inside the patient's head.
Scans of the aneurysm revealed that the usual approach surgeons would take
to fix it would not have worked.
3D printing is increasingly finding a role in medicine to either help
doctors prepare before carrying out procedures or to make prosthetics.
After suffering vision problems and recurrent headaches, New York state
resident Theresa Flint was diagnosed with an aneurysm that, if left untreated,
would have proved fatal.
An aneurysm is a bulging blood vessel caused by a weakness in an artery
wall that risks rupturing.
The usual way to treat such problems is to implant a metallic basket that
strengthens the artery wall, said Dr Adnan Siddiqui, chief medical officer atthe Jacobs Institute in Buffalo, New York, who directed the treatment.
However, scans of the weak blood vessel revealed that this approach would
not work. "It was a serious problem
from the standpoint that she had an extremely irregular brain aneurysm that
would be tricky to treat with micro-surgery," he said. The scans showed that the blood vessels were
severely twisted and, as a result, very difficult to reach.
"There are some commonalities between all human
beings," said Dr Siddiqui, "but at the end of the day our vascular
tree is as different as our fingerprints."
To help the surgeons work out the best approach, the scans taken of Ms
Flint's brain were turned into a 3D model with the help of 3D-printing
specialist Stratasys.
It helped make a replica built of a polymer that mimics human tissue
allowing the surgeons to plan their approach and practise the operation.
"While we were doing that mock procedure we realised that we had to
change some of the tools we wanted to use, given her anatomy," said Dr
Siddiqui.
"The day of surgery came and we tried out exactly what we thought
would work best," he said, adding that Ms Flint had "done great"
since the aneurysm was corrected.
Dr Siddiqui said 3D printing was increasingly being used to help plan
procedures and make models of human anatomy that give surgeons a better idea of
what they will encounter during an operation. Many hospitals have now
established relationships with 3D printing firms to help surgical staff.
"It may not be needed for the majority of routine cases," he
said, "but here its help was immeasurable."
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