3D-Printing-Based Open Repair of Extensive Thoracoabdominal Aorta in Severe Scoliosis

Pathological Features and Surgical Strategies of Cervical Deformity

“…Then, the clinicians can preoperatively prepare the implants with appropriate size [1]. It also contributes to the selection of the possible site for screw insertion without injuring the vertebral artery or adjacent disc space [33].…”

A Fascinating Technique Searching for a Clinical Problem

“…In their manuscript, the authors attribute the 3D-printing model with an improvement in their technical procedure with regards to constructing a vascular graft based on the 3D model and claim that it reduced the operative time by promoting a more straight-forward process of serial anastomosis along with an easier identification of key intercostal arteries. 2 The authors maintain there is a clear potential for 3D printing to substantially improve surgical outcomes in thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Despite explaining their 3D model and utilizing intraoperative photography, as well as photographs and scans of their model, the authors do not precisely describe exactly how the 3D model specifically led to an improved result in this particular case.…”

“…In another step forward, the authors describe using 3D printing technology to create a mock-up of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm in order to premodify the aortic graft to save time in the operating theater and create a better, anatomically based reconstruction at the time of repair and replacement. 2 The 3D-printing process is used to generate prototypes from virtual objects using computer-aided design software. The 3D-printing has become of age in personalized medicine and has been a useful tool for reconstructive surgery, such as in maxillofacial surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, and now cardiovascular surgery.…”

Utilizing Patient-Specific 3D Printed Guides for Graft Reconstruction in Thoracoabdominal Aortic Repair

“…3D printing (3DP) technology is used in the medical eld for patient-speci ed guides, simulators, surgical planning, education, and implants [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] . 3DP technologies, rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing, proceed by adding materials layer-by-layer until the object is completely built 3,8 .…”

“…However, this conventional image-based approach has several shortcomings with respect to the precise positioning of the branching grafts because the accuracy depends on the constructor, usually, the operating surgeon. To overcome this limitation, 3DP-based reconstruction of the thoracoabdominal graft has been introduced to enable more accurate construction of the aorta and branching vessels 4 . As an extension of this approach, we developed two reconstruction techniques using patient-speci c 3D printed graft reconstruction guides: 1) model-based technique (MBT), which uses a visualization model designed as a realistic-shaped graft model that contains the main aortic body and its branching vessels, making it possible to manually position the branching grafts on the arti cial aortic graft and 2) guide-based technique (GBT) using the marking guides, wherein the branching vessels in the visualization model are substituted with slightly protruded marking points.…”