Surgeons treat 53yr old woman turned down by
several other hospitals due to illness complexity, with surgical 3D
printed models integral to understanding the cause of the issue and
best determining the type of treatment required to successfully
operate
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), a global leader in applied
additive technology solutions, today announced that surgeons at the
University of Mainz Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Department
are using Stratasys PolyJet 3D printing to transform the hospital’s
surgical planning process for complex, life-critical vascular
cases. According to the University hospital, the use of 3D printed
models for surgical planning has seen a significant reduction in
costs at the institution when designing and fitting implants -
while the hospital reports relevant time-savings during surgery,
leading to an improvement in patient outcomes.
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Transparent Stratasys 3D printed model of
a patient-specific aortic arch, used by the University Hospital
Mainz to practice complex endovascular surgeries. (Photo: Business
Wire)
As an internationally recognized Center of Excellence when it
comes to its Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, the University
Hospital Mainz provides research and patient care in areas related
to the heart, thorax and blood vessels in the human body. The
hospital treats several patients suffering from life-threatening
aortic illnesses needing immediate attention and complex,
patient-specific surgical treatment. According to Prof. Dr.
Bernhard Dorweiler, Head of the Department of Vascular Surgery at
University Hospital Mainz, the adoption of 3D printing is playing a
crucial role in elevating the standard of patient care.
“On average, CT scans with 1000-2000 images can be made per
vascular-related patient case, which the surgeons use to analyze
and diagnose the illness. This can be ambiguous and time-consuming
when the issue is complex,” says Prof. Dr. Dorweiler. “With 3D
printed models, we can quickly understand the individual patient
anatomy and best determine the type of treatment required to
successfully treat it.”
This was exemplified in a recent case whereby Prof. Dr.
Dorweiler and his team were approached by a 53-year-old woman who
had already been turned down by several other hospitals in Germany
and beyond – such was the complexity around the illness and the
potential risk of operation. Due to an aortic malformation close to
the heart, the patient was suffering from a bulging blood vessel on
her neck. Recognizing the need for urgent medical attention, Prof.
Dr. Dorweiler and his team reviewed CT Scans, however the results
did not provide the level of clarity required to make an accurate
diagnosis.
“Looking through the CT Scans, it was impossible to clearly
visualize the anatomy,” says Prof. Dr. Dorweiler. “So we decided to
3D print a model, and it was then for the first time that it became
clear what the origin and magnitude of the problem was. Not only
did we use the model to explain our findings to the patient to
increase her compliance for the planned 3-step operation, but we
even took it into each of the three surgeries as a point of
reference during operation, which was crucial to the successful
outcome.”
Practice-makes-perfect approach saves time and money
To date, treatment of complex aortic illnesses with the
endovascular method has been a difficult procedure, with surgeons
relying on a monitor to implant a small wire-mesh tube (stent)
through the arteries to be placed at the affected area of the
aorta. In a recent case, Prof. Dr. Dorweiler and his team faced
this challenge with a very complex case of aortic arch aneurysm.
Requiring an intricate implant, the team undertook a pre-operative
simulation of the surgery using a stent prototype and 3D printed
aortic arch model of the patient. This process has since been
repeated across several cases, with surgeons able to practice
surgery on the model repeatedly ensuring the correct design and fit
of the stent implant the first time – significantly reducing time
and cost in the operating theatre.
“As pointed out in current published studies, there are savings
in operating time of 5-45 minutes when using 3D printed models
prior to surgery,” says Prof. Dr. Dorweiler. “Research is still
ongoing, but if you take an average surgery time of 2-4 hours, you
are looking at time savings of up to 40%. When you are dealing with
complex vascular cases every day, these time-savings can be the
difference between life and death.”
Training future vascular surgeons for success
At the forefront of German medical research and development, the
Vascular Surgery Department at the University Hospital Mainz has an
extensive training facility, in which 3D printing is integral.
“We use the Stratasys Eden260VS 3D Printer in our BiomaTicS
research platform to produce models of aortic anatomies from
real-life cases, so that we can use them to teach future vascular
surgeons how to successfully perform complex endovascular
surgeries,” says Prof. Dr. Dorweiler. “With the ability to 3D print
patient-specific aortic models in clear transparent material, the
trainees can practice endovascular procedures and learn difficult
Wire-Skills using the accurate replicas of blood vessels. For
healthcare, it is crucial that we continue to leverage the
capabilities of 3D printing for medical training, education and
research for future breakthrough-implementation.”
Rene Martin, Business Manager Healthcare EMEA, Stratasys,
concludes: “The pioneering use of 3D printing witnessed today
underpins why the University Hospital Mainz is at the forefront of
German medical research and development. Leveraging high resolution
3D printing, the ability to replicate patient-specific anatomy is
enabling physicians and surgeons to quickly plan, practice and
determine life-saving surgical approaches – not only to improve
patient care and outcomes, but also mitigate risk and reduce
costs.”
About Stratasys
Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) is a global leader in applied additive
technology solutions for industries including Aerospace,
Automotive, Healthcare, Consumer Products and Education. For nearly
30 years, a deep and ongoing focus on customers’ business
requirements has fueled purposeful innovations—1,200 granted and
pending additive technology patents to date—that create new value
across product lifecycle processes, from design prototypes to
manufacturing tools and final production parts. The Stratasys 3D
printing ecosystem of solutions and expertise—advanced materials;
software with voxel level control; precise, repeatable and reliable
FDM and PolyJet 3D printers; application-based expert services;
on-demand parts and industry-defining partnerships—works to ensure
seamless integration into each customer’s evolving workflow.
Fulfilling the real-world potential of additive, Stratasys delivers
breakthrough industry-specific applications that accelerate
business processes, optimize value chains and drive business
performance improvements for thousands of future-ready leaders
around the world.
Corporate Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot,
Israel.
Online at: www.stratasys.com, http://blog.stratasys.com and
LinkedIn.
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