Three-dimensional printing technology for treatment of intracranial aneurysm

Background The development of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology provides a new method for surgical treatment, but currently there are few reports on its application in the treatment of aneurysm. The aim of the present study was to explore the materials and methods of fabricating 3D printed individual aneurysm model and its value in the treatment of intracranial aneurysm. Methods Twenty-four patients with intracranial aneurysm diagnosed by CTA who had undergone operation in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively. CTA Data collected at the time of surgery was used for reconstruction. Soft Mimics 17.0 was used to reconstruct the thin layer CTA scan data into 3D image and the final data was sent to the 3D printer for fabricating the model. We compared the proposed 3D printed model-based preoperative plan and the actual approach used in the surgery based on CTA data to evaluate the value of the 3D printed model in preoperative planning, and picked out the materials which were more suitable for the clinic. Results Twenty-four aneurysm models with high degree of reality were fabricated successfully with 3D-printing technology. The patients’ blood vessels, skulls and aneurysms were printed into the reality model at a ratio of 1:1. It is reported that the soft material-based, 3D printed vascular and aneurysm model more closely resembled the characteristics of the real blood vessels, thus provides a better simulation compared to the plaster-based model. Compared with the original operation plan, 3D printed model could be used for pre-operative aneurysm clip selection, and provide more intuitive information in selection of operational approach. Conclusions 3D printed model can be used as an operational physical model to design operative schemes, choose the best operative paths and select suitable aneurysm clips by its high simulation degree and individualized characteristics. The model is helpful for surgical planning, especially for the preoperative plan of treating refractory multiple aneurysms and giant aneurysms.