The 3D printed arteries model

Dubai - The 3D printed model helped the doctors understand exactly how they could reach the arteries in a safe way

Doctors have saved the life of a 60-year-old Omani woman who suffered a cerebral aneurysm, using a state-of-the-art custom 3D-printed model of the patient's brain with dilated arteries to help plan the complex surgery.
The patient was admitted to the hospital after severe bleeding in the brain due a cerebrovascular disorder, in which the weak wall of a cerebral artery causes a localised dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.
Dr Abdullah Qasim, consultant and head of Neurosurgery at Rashid Hospital, said that an X-ray found that she had cerebral aneurysm in not one but four veins. "Due to the complexity and rarity of the patient's case, we needed a 3D model that will allow us to understand exactly how we can reach the arteries in a safe way. This helps us reduce risk because we can't imagine the problem without the 3D model," said Dr Qasim.
After studying the model, Dr Ayman Al Sibaei, interventional radiologist at Rashid Hospital, conducted a six-hour endovascular surgery where he placed coils to stop the dilation, which was causing the bleeding. Dr Qasim said the surgery was successful and the patient was transferred to the ICU where she is recovering.
Dr Qasim stressed the importance of utilising 3D printing in medical care, saying: "Without the 3D model, the surgery would have taken longer. The risk would also have been higher because it would have meant conducting the surgery with limited understanding of the abnormality. The patient is recovering well; we conducted an MRI and CT scan which found that blood is flowing normally."
Dr Mohammad Al Redha, director of the Department of Organisational Transformation at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said this is not the first time they have conducted a complex surgery with the aid of 3D printing.
Doctors succeeded in removing a tumour from a patient's kidney with the help of a a custom 3D-printed organ that helped plan the complex surgery, last December. DHA also recently provided a Dubai resident with the region's first-ever fully 3D-printed prosthetic leg, a new innovation that could soon slash prices of costly conventional prosthetics by half.
The DHA is planning to further utilise 3D printing in medical care, in line with the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy - a unique global initiative that aims to exploit technology for the service of humanity and promote the status of the UAE and Dubai as a leading hub of 3D printing technology by 2030, Dr Al Redha said.
The 3D model in the brain operation was provided by 3DVinci Creations, who stated they were happy with the procedure's success. "Whenever there is a complex case, surgeons will inevitably use complex procedures relying on medical imaging such as CT or MRI Scan 2D Data, but now 3DVinci Creations can make complex anatomical models using the same data. This gives it another dimensional perception, making it easier to extend patient diagnosis and plan the intricate steps of surgery by using the patient-specific anatomical model, reducing the risks and costs involved," said Suneel Kashyap, sales sanager at 3DVinci Creations.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

How 3D printing made complex surgery easier