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Paper title Do-it-yourself Cranioplasty – 3D printers help to reduce costs and enhance cosmetic results of cranioplasty
Paper code P02
Authors
  1. Stephan Schön Bethesda Spital Speaker
  2. Florian Thieringer Universitätsspital Basel
Form of presentation Poster
Topics
  • SSNS-Neurosurgery
Abstract text Aims:
To display the development and the systematic implementation into daily routine of a new 3D-printer assisted method to perform patient specific implants for cranioplasty.

Method:
Case series of 6 patients consecutively operated at the University Hospital of Basel using a 3D print hybrid technique to perform patient specific cranioplasty. A design optimization software (3-matic, version 11.0, Materialise Inc., Leuven, Belgium) was used to process DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) Data from the patient’s preoperative cranial Computed Tomography and a template of the bony defect was then printed out with a commercially available high-end 3D-printer (Stratasys Objet 30 Prime, Stratasys GmbH, Rheinmünster, Germany). As a printing substrate, a biocompatible substrate, MED610, was used. The printed-out template of the future implant is required to form a mold using a heat resistant addition-type silicone material (PRESIDENT soft putty, Coltène/ Whaledent AG, Altstätten, Switzerland) that is routinely used in craniomaxillofacial surgery which is then sterilized to produce the implantable patient specific PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) implant.

Results:
We present the workflow from printing a template of the bone flap to the construction of the silicone mold and sterile implantation of the patient specific implant made of PMMA.
A cost analysis will be presented compared to commercially available patient specific implants.

Conclusions:
Systematic implementation of the in-hospital production of 3D-printer assisted patient specific implants made of conventional Palacos (PMMA) is save, feasible and markedly helps to reduce treatment costs with yet excellent cosmetic results compared to conventional PMMA Cranioplasty.