3D Printing Optimizes Surgical Planning at a Hospital in Mexico

The Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad “Ciudad Salud”, in Mexico, is using 3D printing as a tool to improve surgical planning in patients. This adoption by the health center, in addition to making interventions more efficient, also is expected to help minimize errors and reduce operation time. Moreover, additive manufacturing is already an important process to optimize the Maxillofacial Surgery, Cardiology and Orthopedics specialties of the Mexican hospital. We recently learned about one of the most recent success stories. In it, a patient had to undergo maxillofacial surgery, as she had a tumor in her jaw. This is where 3D printing played a key role in surgical planning.

According to a report by Allied Market Research, the 3D printing market in the medical sector is expected to reach a value of $5.8 billion by 2030. Focusing just on surgical operations, additive manufacturing offers a multitude of advantages. Among them is the possibility of getting a better idea of the patient’s anatomy, which was previously done only digitally. Verónica Coutiño Escobar, a specialist in Radiology, explains: “We are not only trying to innovate by having the digital image, but we are now making the impression in the third dimension, which helps the physician to perform surgical planning, minimize errors and reduce time”.

Verónica Coutiño Escobar, one of the specialists at the Ciudad Salud Hospital, with the 3D printed replica.

3D Printing a Tumor Replica

Thanks to this fabrication tool, doctors can now make more precise measurements for material placement, as well as make cuts in the parts because the impressions are life-size. In this case, the Hospital Ciudad Salud had a case of a patient with a benign but aggressive tumor in the jaw area. María Teresa Escobar, a surgeon attached to the hospital, explains: “We made use of the stereolithography study, which is a computer design but in 3D, since it makes it possible to replicate any anatomical structure, in this case, the jaw.

Thanks to this technology, the specialists were able to design and recreate a replica of the patient’s own anatomy, that is, of the jawbone where the tumor was located. In addition, they were also able to determine the amount of bone to graft in the area that was removed by the tumor. “This tool is not only specific to my service, but all the services could use this means to make a projection of their surgery before entering the operating room, representing a high benefit for the patient,” concludes the specialist.

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*Cover Photo Credits: 3D Systems