Oct. 20, 2014
At the end of 2013 Michael Balzer, the producer of 'All Things 3D', was told that his wife was diagnosed with brain tumor.
"My wife was diagnosed with Menigioma, but the diagnosis was minimized until I was able to review the DICOM information myself and present 3D volume renderings to her to convince her to get another CT with contrast." Balzer told us. "This led to more accurate discovering of 3.5 cm Meningioma in her upper left orbital roof. I was then able to create 3D sagital models, which I then loaded on SketchFab for neurosurgeons to review as we shopped for a neurosurgeon who would remove it using minimally invasive procedure. This process took us two months and we narrowed it done to John's Hopkins and UPMC."
Balzer then 3D printed two full scale sagital sections and sent them to the corresponding surgeons. In the end, only UPMC was willing to move forward with the new minimally invasive technique due to the physical models and imaging that Balzer provided.
The eight hour surgery was performed in mid-May on Mrs. Balzer, through her upper eyelid, and 95% tumor has been removed. Three weeks later she was seeing clients again and for the most part is back to normal, Balzer said.
Here are 3D models of her tumor ('before' and 'after' model)
Before: 3mm slices from a CT Scanner at the Samsun clinic
Here is a 3D scan of Mrs. Balzer using the Structure Sensor, 4eyes and the itseez3D app:
(Other than the optical distortion, you can clearly see the healing and disparity between eyes, notably the left eye).
Balzer used this process to capture and provide the neurosurgeon and optomologist surgeon with periodic updates on her progress. "I have not uploaded the latest, but unless you really look, you would not be able to tell she had any surgery, let alone brain surgery," Balzer said, "A testament to how far we have come in just five years, where her only recourse would have been for to have her 1/3 of her skull removed and brain lifted to remove it. As one neurosurgeon said, this most certainly would have caused long lasting problems, including the loss of smell, taste and even the sight in the left eye. 30 years ago she would have died, like her mother did at the age of 52. My wife just turned 56 eight days ago."
This personal experience led Balzer to hold a free seminar titled "3D in Medicine" that he hopes to not only to inform, but to empower the viewer with the knowledge 3D printing and scanning technology for the medical field. The two hours seminar will have several 3D medical experts and the entire presentation will be livecasted via Google Hangouts On Air through a multi-camera setup. Viewers can learn about how 3D technology is changing the way medicine is performed, as well as how you can create 3D models from your own medical scans.
Place: San Luis Obispo City-County Library Main Community Room
Date: 10/29/2014
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Details can be found here.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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This is a fascinating story and there have been literally thousands of stories like the one Mike has brought to the world. I am a neurologist and all I can say is Bravo ! I need to contact Mike since I may have many a project(s) for him, if he is so interested. Jagannadha R Avasarala, MD, PhD 864-395-8252 javasarala@ghs.org
Michael Balzer, All Things 3D wrote at 10/25/2014 8:11:29 PM:
Hi this is Mike, and I would like to stress that the surgeons at UPMC did an excellent job and that the leading SketchFab image was taken three months ago, and that there is more recent one taken four days ago located here: https://skfb.ly/BCFI Also, my wife does not share in my concern with cavity above her eye and that another leading ophthalmologist surgeon from UCLA did not indicate that this is a concern, nor in further talks with her surgeon. It is only personal concern based upon my research and the latest radiology report. Finally, the software '3D Slicer' is a research & learning tool and is not FDA approved and cannot be used for medical diagnosis.
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