一组研究人员坦佩雷大学，芬兰已使用3D打印尝试了一种新的鼻手术准备方法。为了确定3D打印是否可以实际复制鼻腔和气流的解剖结构，团队进行了扫描和打印一组内部鼻腔频道。对印刷品的广泛分析表明，该技术可以用作更快，更低成本的方法Rhinomantry评估。
手术计划
的建模和印刷各种四肢和organs have previously been used by medical professionals when planning out a high-risk operation. Using these models in the crucial pre-surgery stage can help increase the success rate of the procedure as it aids with visualization. Alternatively, 3D printed models can also be used in the classroom as a teaching tool for budding medical students.
According to the researchers, however, 3D printing has not yet been used for the modeling of internal nasal channels. They attribute this to the relative complexity of the nose, making it difficult to maintain precision which is key when examining something as sensitive as airflow. Instead, 3D models of the nose tend to be traditionally cast in silicone, with particle image velocimetry (PIV) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) used as technical analysis tools. Unfortunately, producing and analyzing these models is a slow, laborious, and often costly process – one which 3D printing hopes to replace.
3D打印的鼻通道
The team started off by taking the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of five adult patients with chronic nasal congestion. CBCT was chosen due to its relatively low dose of radiation when compared to conventional CT scans. The scan data was converted into a 3D printable format usingMATLAB，然后使用slic3r。为了在可能的情况下保持维度的精度，省略了支撑，所有印刷都在Lulzbot Taz 43D printer with PLA.
In order to then accurately compare the prints to the noses of the patients, CBCT scans of all the PLA parts were taken. Looking at the maxillary sinus volumes of the two scan groups, the 3D printed parts were slightly off by about 1.05 cubic millimeters, although this was considered to be very close to the actual value range.
Finally, the airflow resistance of the printed parts was compared to the airflow resistance of the patient’s noses. This was done using an instrument called a rhinomanometer – a device built specifically for the purpose. Using it on the patients was straightforward but the printed parts required some DIY ingenuity, so the researchers connected tubes to the back of the prints and stuck the other end up their own noses for science. With similar resistance values in both groups, the team concluded that their previously unseen method of 3D printing nasal channels showed great promise for clinical use.
Further details of the study can be found in the paper titled ‘Three-Dimensional Printing of the Nasal Cavities for Clinical Experiments’。它是由Olli Valtonen, Jaakko Ormiskangas, Ilkka Kivekäs, Ville Rantanen, Marc Dean, Dennis Poe, Jorma Järnstedt, Jukka Lekkala, Pentti Saarenrinne, and Markus Rautiainen.
医学模型的3D打印超出了学术界。数字制造服务提供商Fast RadiusandAxial3d, a UK-based medical technology firm, have recently announced a新的“ DICOM到印刷”服务aimed at surgeons and hospitals across North America. The duo plans to improve surgical planning by supplying micron-accurate, patient-specific anatomical models.
Elsewhere, in Queensland, researchers have released a挑战FDM的适用性的研究for producing anatomical reconstructions. The team claims that inaccuracies and defects in the replicas can potentially cause harm to patients through suboptimal treatment planning, and would like to optimize the process through their work.
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Featured image shows measurements of a patient and the corresponding PLA model. Image via Tampere University.
