scholarly journals 3D Printed Personalized Corneal Models as a Tool for Improving Patient’s Knowledge of an Asymmetric Disease

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose S. Velázquez ◽  
Francisco Cavas ◽  
José M. Bolarín ◽  
Jorge L. Alió

Additive manufacturing is a vanguard technology that is currently being used in several fields in medicine. This study aims to evaluate the viability in clinical practice of a patient-specific 3D model that helps to improve the strategies of the doctor-patient assistance. Data obtained from a corneal topographer were used to make a virtual 3D model by using CAD software, to later print this model by FDM and get an exact replica of each patient’s cornea in consultation. Used CAD and printing software were open-source, and the printing material was biodegradable and its cost was low. Clinic users gave their feedback by means of a survey about their feelings when perceiving with their senses their own printed cornea. There was 82 surveyed, 73.8% (9.74; SD: 0.45) of them considered that the model had helped them a lot to understand their disease, expressing 100% of them their intention of taking home the printed model. The majority highlighted that this new concept improves both quality and clinical service in consultation. Custom-made individualized printed models allow a new patient-oriented perspective that may improve the communication strategy from the ophthalmologist to the patient, easing patient’s understanding of their asymmetric disease and its later treatment.

Author(s):  
Morteza Vatani ◽  
Faez Alkadi ◽  
Jae-Won Choi

A novel additive manufacturing algorithm was developed to increase the consistency of three-dimensional (3D) printed curvilinear or conformal patterns on freeform surfaces. The algorithm dynamically and locally compensates the nozzle location with respect to the pattern geometry, motion direction, and topology of the substrate to minimize lagging or leading during conformal printing. The printing algorithm was implemented in an existing 3D printing system that consists of an extrusion-based dispensing module and an XYZ-stage. A dispensing head is fixed on a Z-axis and moves vertically, while the substrate is installed on an XY-stage and moves in the x–y plane. The printing algorithm approximates the printed pattern using nonuniform rational B-spline (NURBS) curves translated directly from a 3D model. Results showed that the proposed printing algorithm increases the consistency in the width of the printed patterns. It is envisioned that the proposed algorithm can facilitate nonplanar 3D printing using common and commercially available Cartesian-type 3D printing systems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 919 ◽  
pp. 222-229
Author(s):  
Jiří Šafka ◽  
Filip Veselka ◽  
Martin Lachman ◽  
Michal Ackermann

The article deals with the topic of 3D printing of pressure vessels and their testing. The main focus of the research was on a 3D model of the pressure vessel, which was originally designed for a student formula racing car project. The described virtual 3D model was designed with regard to 3D printing. The physical model was manufactured using several additive manufacturing technologies. The first technology was FDM using ULTEM 1010 material. The next technology was SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) using polyamide materials (PA3200GF and PA2220). The last technology was SLA (Stereolithography) using a polypropylene material (Durable). Experimental evaluation of the vessels was carried out by a pressure test, which verified the compactness of the 3D printed parts and their possible porosity. At the end of the article, a comparison of each printed model is made in terms of their final price and weight, together with pressure and thermal resistance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 321 ◽  
pp. 03012
Author(s):  
W B du Preez ◽  
G J Booysen

Although many cases of medical implants produced through additive manufacturing (AM) in Ti6Al4V have been reported in literature, most of these processes had not been qualified. To enable certification and commercialisation of medical implants and devices an ISO 13485:2016 quality management system was successfully implemented in the Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) at the Central University of Technology, Free State in South Africa. This certification covers qualification of both design, development and production of patient specific custom made titanium implants, as well as preoperative models, jigs and cutting guides in nylon by means of AM and supports commercialisation. With this quality management system as framework for ensuring the reliability and repeatability of the AM performed at the CRPM, the generation of data to validate the individual processes in the AM process chain was pursued. Sufficient research data has been produced and published to prove that medical implants produced through AM can fully comply with the international standards for material, physical, chemical and mechanical properties. In this paper the research performed towards the qualification of AM of Ti6Al4V medical implants is discussed. Examples are given of internationally leading work on utilising these implants in maxillofacial and orthopaedic surgeries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 363-363
Author(s):  
E. Reilly Scott ◽  
Samuel Morano ◽  
Andrea Quinn ◽  
Erica Mann ◽  
Michelle Ho ◽  
...  

363 Background: 3D printing is a growing tool in surgical education due to the ability to visualize organs, tissue, and masses from multiple angles before operating on a patient. Previous studies using highly detailed and expensive 3D models costing between $1,000-250 per model have been shown to enhance patient and trainee comprehension of tumor characteristics, goals of surgery, and planned surgical procedure for partial nephrectomies. In our study we aim to use simpler and less expensive models in a greater range of patients receiving partial nephrectomies to determine the use of 3D models in patient, resident, and fellow education. Methods: 3D models of the effected kidney, mass, renal artery, and renal vein were created using preoperative imaging of undergoing partial nephrectomies at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (TJUH) costing $35 per model. Residents and fellows filled out 3 surveys assessing their surgical plan and their confidence in the chosen plan at 3 time points: 1) Before seeing the model, 2) After seeing the model before surgery, and 3) After surgery. Ten patients filled out 2 surveys about their understanding of the kidney, their disease, the surgery they will undergo, and the risks involved with surgery before and after seeing the model. Results: Based on surveys to assess for surgical plan and confidence given to resident and fellow surgeons before and after seeing the 3D model, confidence significantly increased. Surveys given after surgery assessing anatomic and surgical comprehension found that resident and fellow surgeons rated the helpfulness of the models on their anatomical comprehension 7.6 out of 10 and the help of the models on their surgical confidence 7 out of 10. Patient understanding of their kidney, disease, and surgery significantly increased after seeing the 3D model, but the risks associated with surgery did not significantly increase. The extent that the model helped the patients learn about the kidney, their disease, the surgery, and the risks related to surgery were rated an average of 8.33, 9.67, 9.5, and 8.83 out of 10, respectively. Conclusions: Patient-specific 3D models for partial nephrectomies increase resident and fellow confidence in surgical approach and helped patients learn about their disease and feel comfortable going into surgery. Thus, it is important to continue to explore 3D models as an educational tool for both trainees and patients and potentially include 3D models as part of the standard of care. Further research could continue to explore the utility of 3D models as a pre-operative educational tool for both patients and trainees in other surgical fields.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Silva ◽  
Isabel S. Pinho ◽  
José A. Covas ◽  
Natália M. Alves ◽  
Maria C. Paiva

AbstractAdditive manufacturing techniques established a new paradigm in the manufacture of composite materials providing a simple solution to build complex, custom designed shapes. In the biomedical field, 3D printing enabled the production of scaffolds with patient-specific requirements, controlling product architecture and microstructure, and have been proposed to regenerate a variety of tissues such as bone, cartilage, or the nervous system. Polymers reinforced with graphene or graphene derivatives have demonstrated potential interest for applications that require electrical and mechanical properties as well as enhanced cell response, presenting increasing interest for applications in the biomedical field. The present review focuses on graphene-based polymer nanocomposites developed for additive manufacturing fabrication, provides an overview of the manufacturing techniques available to reach the different biomedical applications, and summarizes relevant results obtained with 3D printed graphene/polymer scaffolds and biosensors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 9270
Author(s):  
Chafik Ghayor ◽  
Tse-Hsiang Chen ◽  
Indranil Bhattacharya ◽  
Mutlu Özcan ◽  
Franz E. Weber

Additive manufacturing is a key technology required to realize the production of a personalized bone substitute that exactly meets a patient’s need and fills a patient-specific bone defect. Additive manufacturing can optimize the inner architecture of the scaffold for osteoconduction, allowing fast and reliable defect bridging by promoting rapid growth of new bone tissue into the scaffold. The role of scaffold microporosity/nanoarchitecture in osteoconduction remains elusive. To elucidate this relationship, we produced lithography-based osteoconductive scaffolds from tricalcium phosphate (TCP) with identical macro- and microarchitecture, but varied their nanoarchitecture/microporosity by ranging maximum sintering temperatures from 1000 °C to 1200 °C. After characterization of the different scaffolds’ microporosity, compression strength, and nanoarchitecture, we performed in vivo studies that showed that ingrowth of bone as an indicator of osteoconduction significantly decreased with decreasing microporosity. Moreover, at the 1200 °C peak sinter temperature and lowest microporosity, osteoclastic degradation of the material was inhibited. Thus, even for wide-open porous TCP-based scaffolds, a high degree of microporosity appears to be essential for optimal osteoconduction and creeping substitution, which can prevent non-unions, the major complication during bone regeneration procedures.


MRS Advances ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (26) ◽  
pp. 1387-1396
Author(s):  
W B du Preez ◽  
D J de Beer ◽  
G J Booysen

ABSTRACTVarious cases of medical implants produced through additive manufacturing (AM) in Ti6Al4V have been reported in literature. Not all manufacturing processes used, were qualified. In striving to deliver certified AM medical implants and devices, an ISO 13485:2016 quality management system was implemented in the Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) of the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) in Bloemfontein, South Africa. This certification is valid for design, development and production of patient-specific custom-made titanium implants, preoperative models, jigs and cutting-guides in nylon through AM, and contract-production of these products. For maintaining this quality management system, the generation of data to validate the individual processes in the AM process-chain is crucial to prove the DMLS product-quality of CRPM’s products. During the past five years, directed research data was produced and published to prove that medical implants produced through DMLS can fully comply with the accepted international standards for material, physical, chemical and mechanical properties of such parts. The paper discusses the quality management system’s establishment; materials research projects executed to generate validation data are mentioned; and examples of customised titanium implants for restoring the quality of life of patients are shown.


Actuators ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Eric Deng ◽  
Yonas Tadesse

Robotic hands with unique designs, capabilities and applications have been presented in the literature focusing on sensing, actuation, control, powering and manufacturing, most of which are created by manual assembly process. However, due to advancements in additive manufacturing, new capabilities have replaced traditional methods of manufacturing. In this paper, we present a soft 3D-printed robotic hand actuated by custom-made coiled shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators. The hand uses additive manufacturing of flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material, which allows flexing at the joint and hence eliminates the need for additional assembly. Here, we present the full characteristics of the robotic hand such as object grasping categorized by size and weight from the ARAT kit and others. The robotic hand is 425 mm in length, weighs 235 g and is able to operate at a frequency of 0.125 Hz without active cooling. It can grasp an object of 55–81 mm widths, weighing up to 133 g, while consuming an average power of 7.82 W. We also show the time domain response of our custom-made coiled SMA to different current inputs, and its corresponding force and displacement. The current design yields a lightweight and low cost artificial hand with significantly simplified manufacturing for applications in robotics and prosthetics.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireia Crispin-Ortuzar ◽  
Marcel Gehrung ◽  
Stephan Ursprung ◽  
Andrew B Gill ◽  
Anne Y Warren ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTPURPOSESpatial heterogeneity of tumours is a major challenge in precision oncology. The relationship between molecular and imaging heterogeneity is still poorly understood, as it relies on the accurate co-registration of medical images and tissue biopsies. tumour moulds can guide the localization of biopsies, but their creation is time consuming, technologically challenging, and difficult to interface with routine clinical practice. These hurdles have so far hindered the progress in the area of multiscale integration of tumour heterogeneity data.METHODSWe have developed an open source computational framework to automatically produce patient-specific 3D-printed moulds that can be used in the clinical setting. Our approach achieves accurate co-registration of sampling location between tissue and imaging, and integrates seamlessly with clinical, imaging and pathology workflows.RESULTSWe applied our framework to patients with renal cancer undergoing radical nephrectomy. We created personalised moulds for five patients, obtaining Dice similarity coefficients between imaging and tissue sections ranging from 0.86 to 0.93 for tumour regions, and between 0.70 and 0.76 for healthy kidney. The framework required minimal manual intervention, producing the final mould design in just minutes, while automatically taking into account clinical considerations such as a preference for specific cutting planes.CONCLUSIONOur work provides a robust and automated interface between imaging and tissue samples, enabling the development of clinical studies to probe tumour heterogeneity on multiple spatial scales.


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