Benefits of Using 3D Printed Medical Models for Preoperative Planning

Medical Models are now available in Puerto Rico solely though Rich Port 3D Solutions. Medical Models are anatomically correct patient customized replicas of a patients diseased organs or bones. Here are several examples of the use of medical models or replicas in preoperative planning:

• At Cardiff Metropolitan University at Cardiff Wales, a patient had a tumor that was invading the orbit, the cavity in the skull where the eye and its appendages are located. This tumor was applying pressure to the optic nerve and endangering the patient’s sight. The surgeons used medical models of the patient’s cranium to map out the margins of the area where they would excise the tumor. A 3D virtual model of the patient was then used to design surgical cutting templates that would be used to map out their surgical procedure.
• At Washington University, cardiologist Dr Peter Manning  used a replica of a 20 year old’s heart for preoperative planning in a successful procedure to relocate heart vessels which were constricting and compressing his windpipe and esophagus. In addition the 3D printed model of the child’s heart was used to explain the procedure to his parents.
• A woman born with a reversed heart is to get a new pacemaker in a procedure that is being planned with a medical replica of her heart by Dr. Stephan Seslar. at the Seattle Children’s Hospital and University of Washington Medical Center. The pacemaker requires a wire being inserted into the back of the heart to assist with the heart’s impulses and timing. The area surrounding the anatomy of this patient’s heart is not clear but the medical replica is helping the surgeons plan the point of incision and pacemaker placement.
• For a complex operation on the pelvis of a patient, at the Hospital Dahme-Spreewald, in Germany, the 3D replica was used to decide if the operation was possible. The fact that there is an exact replica or life size model of the pelvis made it possible to adjust the implants prior to surgery.

In summary surgeons have been finding medical replicas an important tool for preoperative planning. Medical replicas or models pay for themselves because of the saving in operating room costs and decreased recovery time for the patient.

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Dr Jenny Carrero has an extensive technical background. She received her PHD in Biophyisics from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana where she worked with lasers, spectrometers, confocal microscopes etc. She is an authority on 3D printing for industrial and consumer use in Puerto Rico.