Literally close to our hearts is the 3D-printing of aortic models — today’s ABC News cracks open the chest and shines the operating light on the life-saving power of 3D-printing in Vascular and Cardiac Surgery. Huge congratulations to Dr Sam Peden and our friends at the Herston Biofabrication team in Brisbane for ther vital role in lubricating this surgery and making it flow smoothly.
As we have described before, 3D-Printed anatomical models can serve as surgical blueprints, and for complex cases like aortic arch aneurysms, thye help surgeons map out every tortuous twist and turn, simulate stent-graft deployment under fluoroscopy, and anticipate potential problems well before stepping foot into the operating room.
In this case, the patient presented with a large 8cm aortic arch aneurysm involving the descending thoracic aorta, or what we would describe as a combined aortic arch and Extent I thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. In addition the patient appears to have an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm arising from an aortic dissection. For patients like this, the pressure is on to repair them due to the ongoing risk of rupture.
Treatment options here are anything but straightforward. Surgeons consider staged open repair of either the entire or hemi-arch and descending thoracic component (under deep hypothermic cardiac arrest to buy time to re-implant the cerebral vessels and operate on the ascending aorta) with the infrarenal aneurysm to be treated later if required; full-length open reconstruction with multivisceral reimplantation; complex endovascular approaches with cervical debranching and custom branched or fenestrated stent-grafts. 3D-printing helps them choose their plumbing strategy with precision.
We’re thrilled to see this technology helping surgical teams operate seamlessly. Great work by this team in Brisbane, and here’s to a future where 3D-printing is available in every hospital!
Read the whole story at the ABC News Website, and please excuse the puns.
