Dr. Mariano Ferreira
Clínica La Sagrada Familia - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Benefits
✔ Improved understanding of the anatomy
✔ Optimisation of surgical planning
✔ Creation of customised endovascular prosthesis
✔ Reduction of surgery time
Clinical case
A 65-year-old male patient with an aneurysm of approximately 65 mm in diameter was treated.
A customised endovascular prosthesis created with 3D models was used to treat the diseased segment of the aorta.
3D anatomical model for endoprosthesis fabrication
◾ From the patient's CT images, the virtual reconstruction of the desired aortic segment was performed.
◾ From the reconstruction, the visceral arteries were digitally removed, leaving the holes to be used as a guide for the fabrication of the custom-made vascular prosthesis.
◾ High-resolution 3D printing of the biomodel was performed using sterolithography (SLA) technology, which uses an ultraviolet laser to solidify the resin layer by layer and form the part.
◾ Finally, the post-processing of the model was carried out, consisting of cleaning and curing.
Surgical plan and results in operating room
In the operating room, the fenestrated endoprosthesis was made by placing the prosthesis inside the model, followed by its marking, cutting and final suturing of the fenestrations.
Finally, the surgical procedure was performed by catheterisation, which consisted of placing the stent over the aortic segment and fixing the stents in the visceral outlets.
Do you want to know other cases in vascular surgery? "Tailor-made vascular endoprosthesis with 3D printing". Learn about this similar case by Dr. Ferreira at the German Hospital, where he explains the step-by-step creation of a patient-specific endoprosthesis based on biomodels.
"3D printing technology is very good, both to create the prosthesis and to see how it will fit", says Dr Ferreira based on his experience.
Using a 3D model to create the custom endovascular prosthesis allowed the surgical team to reduce the overall procedure time and also saved on consumables because only the necessary elements corresponding to the patient's procedure were selected.