Surgeons use a highly-accurate, transparent 3D printed model to practice the complex implant of a stent through the patient’s arteries. Simplifying Surgical Complexity German Hospital Improves Life-Saving Vascular Surgeries With 3D Printed Patient Models With 3D printed models, we can quickly understand the cause of the issue and determine the best type of treatment.” Case Study Johannes Gutenberg University Hospital Main

Simplifying Surgical Complexity The Johannes Gutenberg University Hospital Mainz (University Hospital Mainz) is internationally recognized as a leader in medical research and development of cardiothoracic and vascular treatment. Dr. Bernhard Dorweiler, the Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, and his team use 3D printing to optimize treatment of the most complex, life-critical vascular cases. 3D printing is integrated into several areas of patient care, employed primarily during surgical planning to better visualize and diagnose complex cases faster. The highly-accurate,...

Simplifying Surgical Complexity “By 3D printing a model of the patients’ blood vessel where the stent needs to be placed, we save significant time and money as we can practice surgery on the model repeatedly until we are certain everything fits together and that we have perfected the procedure,” said Dr. Dorweiler. In planning for another very complex case of aortic arch aneurysm, the team underwent a preoperative simulation of the surgery using a stent prototype and a 3D printed aortic arch model of the patient. This helped ensure the correct design and fit of the stent, and helped the team...