www.3ders.org

Jun 16, 2015 | By Simon

Unsurprisingly, the use of 3D printing as an aid for surgical procedures has exploded worldwide and professionals from all corners of the medical industry have been finding new ways of using the technology to both create models as well as study and reference them before and during a surgical procedure to increase their efficiency.  

More recently,  Dr. Sathish Vasishta, a craniomaxillofacial surgeon, and Dr. Derick Mendonca, a plastic surgeon, of the Sakra Hospital in Bangalore, India used a 3D printed model for a surgical procedure to correct orbital hypertelorism using both a box osteotomy as well as a facial bipartition technique with the aide of Osteo3D.

 

Orbital hypertelorism is a condition where the spacing between the eyes is larger than normal and can result in abnormally shaped eyes.  Both the box osteotomy and facial bipartition procedures are common for fixing the condition, however they are not without their risks, too.  To help aid in the procedure, Vasishta and Mendonca called upon the services of Osteo3d, a young company that is focused on 3d printing for the healthcare industry. Among other services that the company offers include making medical models for surgical planning & surgical guides using additive manufacturing technologies.

For the procedure, the patient in particular had excess bone present between their orbit: 15 mm on the horizontal plane and 7.5 mm from the midline.  In order to correct his, bone would need to be removed from either side of the midline before rebuilding the skull structure.  Additionally, the patient also had a condition called orbital dystopia which included one eye orbit being lower than the other.  To correct this, a 1.5 mm bone resection was planned.  Altogether, the surgery was not without its challenges and is a perfect example of how 3D printing a model beforehand can help dramatically improve both the procedure itself as well as the recovery time for the patient.  

To create a 3D model of the patient’s skull, 3D scans were collected and converted into usable data that was then able to be 3D printed.  Vasishta and Mendonca then used the 3D printed model to study the patient’s bone structure both before and during the surgery in order to drastically reduce the surgical time as well as ensure increased accuracy of the procedure without any mistakes.

Among other techniques used by Vasishta and Mendonca to better understand their patient’s condition, the doctors chose to carry out the procedure in-full on the 3D printed model.  Not only did this help the doctors accurately estimate the removal of the 7.5 mm of bone on either side of the midline on the horizontal plane and 1.5mm of bone on the vertical plane of the right bony orbit to achieve orbital symmetry but it also helped them establish any alternative methods for the procedure in advance in case anything went awry.  

Thankfully, the surgery was deemed a success thanks in no small part to the addition of 3D printing to the surgical process.  While more hospitals worldwide are starting to see the value of 3d printing in nearly all stages of a medical procedure, not all of them have been able to both afford and provide the space for on-site 3D printers and computer equipment - for this, it’s hard to deny that services include Osteo3D are among the best out there.  

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

 

Maybe you also like:

• Chinese expedition team fly 3D printed drone on the South Pole
• 3D printed fuse assemblies teach locals how to remove landmines
• 3D printing helps build perfect chin for 26-year old woman
• ALPA of Switzerland creates custom lens shades for high-end cameras using 3D printing
• Check out this amazing 3D printed Bugatti Veyron 1:8 scale model created by Hbot 3D
• exiii Japan releases Open Source files for amazing 3D printed HACKberry Bionic Hand
• Swiss company UrbanAlps releases the Stealth Key, a 3D printed security key
• British developer Botz&Us unveils first 3D printed CD player

   

Leave a comment:

Your Name: