We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




3D Printing and CT Imaging Used to Guide Human Face Transplants

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 17 Dec 2014
Print article
Image: This shows a 3D print model used in surgical planning (Photo courtyes of RSNA).
Image: This shows a 3D print model used in surgical planning (Photo courtyes of RSNA).
Surgeons are using computed tomography (CT) imaging and three-dimensional (3-D) printing technology to reconstruct life-size models of patients’ heads to help better control the outcome in face transplantation surgery.

The study’s findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), held in Chicago, IL, USA; November 30 to December 5, 2014. Physicians from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA, USA) performed the first US full-face transplantation in 2011 and have subsequently completed four additional face transplants. The procedure is performed on patients who have lost some or all of their face as a result of disease or injury.

In the study, researchers led by Frank J. Rybicki, MD, radiologist and director of the hospital’s Applied Imaging Science Laboratory, Bohdan Pomahac, MD, lead face transplantation surgeon, and Amir Imanzadeh, MD, research fellow, assessed the clinical impact of using 3-D printed models of the recipient’s head in the planning of face transplantation surgery. “This is a complex surgery and its success is dependent on surgical planning,” Dr. Rybicki said. “Our study demonstrated that if you use this model and hold the skull in your hand, there is no better way to plan the procedure.”

Each of the transplant patients underwent preoperative CT scanning with 3-D visualization. To build each life-size skull model, the CT images of the transplant recipient’s head were segmented and processed using specialized software, creating customized data files that were input into a 3-D printer. “In some patients, we need to modify the recipient’s facial bones prior to transplantation,” Dr. Imanzadeh said. “The 3-D printed model helps us to prepare the facial structures so when the actual transplantation occurs, the surgery goes more smoothly.”

Although the entire transplant procedure lasts as long as 25 hours, the actual vascular connections from the donor face to the recipient typically takes approximately one hour, during which time the patient’s blood flow must be stopped. “If there are absent or missing bony structures needed for reconstruction, we can make modifications based on the 3-D printed model prior to the actual transplantation, instead of taking the time to do alterations during ischemia time,” Dr. Rybicki said. “The 3-D model is important for making the transplant cosmetically appealing.”

Moreover, the researchers reported they employed the models in the operating room to optimize the surgeons’ understanding of the anatomy of the recipient’s face during the procedure. “You can spin, rotate and scroll through as many CT images as you want but there’s no substitute for having the real thing in your hand,” Dr. Rybicki said. “The ability to work with the model gives you an unprecedented level of reassurance and confidence in the procedure.”

Senior surgeons and radiologists involved in the five face transplantations agreed that the 3-D printed models provided superior preoperative data and allowed complex anatomy and bony defects to be better appreciated, reducing total procedure time. “Less time spent in the operating room is better for overall patient outcomes,” Dr. Pomahac added.

Based on the results of this study, 3-D printing is now regularly used for surgical planning for face transplantation procedures at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and 3-D printed models may be implemented in other complicated surgeries.

Related Links:

Brigham and Women’s Hospital


Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
New
Thyroid Shield
Standard Thyroid Shield
Dose Calibration Electrometer
PC Electrometer
Compact C-Arm with FPD
Arcovis DRF-C R21

Print article

Channels

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: The AI system uses scintigraphy imaging for early diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

AI System Automatically and Reliably Detects Cardiac Amyloidosis Using Scintigraphy Imaging

Cardiac amyloidosis, a condition characterized by the buildup of abnormal protein deposits (amyloids) in the heart muscle, severely affects heart function and can lead to heart failure or death without... Read more

General/Advanced Imaging

view channel
Image: The CIARTIC Move self-driving mobile C-arm has received FDA clearance (Photo courtesy of Siemens)

Self-Driving Mobile C-Arm Reduces Imaging Time during Surgery

Intraoperative imaging faces significant challenges due to staff shortages and the high demands placed on surgical teams in the operating room (OR). A common challenge during many OR procedures is the... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more

Industry News

view channel
Image: Samsung Medison CEO Mr. Yongkwan Kim and Bracco Imaging CEO Dr. Fulvio Renoldi Bracco endorsed a MoU agreement (Photo courtesy of Bracco Group)

Samsung and Bracco Enter Into New Diagnostic Ultrasound Technology Agreement

Samsung Medison (Seoul, South Korea) and Bracco Imaging (Milan, Italy) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to pioneer a new area for diagnostic ultrasound devices and contrast agents.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.