Recently, the neurosurgery craniocerebral trauma team of the First Affiliated Hospital of An Medical University, in conjunction with the Clinical Digital Medicine Translation Center, successfully customized a 3D printed "protective cap" for a patient with a skull defect.
3D-printed skull defect "protective cap" © Anhui Business News
Patient survives cranial defect safely and smoothly
The patient, Mr. Dou, was admitted to the neurosurgery department of the First Affiliated Hospital of An Medical University in the High-tech Hospital area for post-operative subdural fluid in brain haemorrhage. "He had a cranial defect for more than 20 days after surgery, and a cranial CT indicated a subdural fluid on the right side, so he was considered for a custom-made cranial defect protection device." According to the hospital's neurosurgery deputy chief physician Mao Xiang, the neurosurgery department and clinical digital medicine translation centre communication, in the patient's three-dimensional CT data based on personalized design and 3D printing technology, for his tailor-made cranial defect "protective cap".
After wearing the cap for a week, Mr. Dou was examined and found that the fluid in the longitudinal fissure was reduced and the intracranial structures were basically restored to their physiological anatomical position.
It is understood that the "protective cap" is through the patient's head CT continuous thin layer scan, will obtain the image data to build the patient's skull defect three-dimensional reconstruction map, to achieve the reconstruction model and the real head 100% matching personalised design, to adopt can effectively withstand and disperse the impact of the hardness and toughness of the appropriate and good anti-collision effect The cap is light (less than 100g) and comfortable; at the same time, it is designed and printed in-house to ensure timely clinical application.
Mao Xiang introduced that for patients with cranial defects caused after surgery, a recovery period of about three months is generally required before cranial repair is carried out. "But this three-month cranial defect period is important for patients because the brain tissue in the defect area loses the protection of the skull and strict attention has to be paid to avoid bumping in daily life, in addition to the possibility of subdural effusion and hydrocephalus due to pressure imbalance in the cerebral fluid."
The 3D printed "protective cap", which is tailored to each patient, can fit the skull defect area more closely, protect the brain tissue, prevent hydrocephalus and subdural fluid and promote brain tissue repair, helping patients return to normal life as soon as possible and providing a strong guarantee for them to pass through the skull defect period safely and smoothly.
