Advancing 3-Dimensional Printed Burr Hole and Craniotomy Models for Neurosurgical Simulation Through Multimaterial Methods.

Objective: Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology presents a promising avenue for the development of affordable neurosurgical simulation models, addressing many challenges related to the use of cadavers, animal models, and direct patient engagement. The aim of this study is to introduce and evaluate a new high-fidelity neurosurgical simulation model targeted for both burr hole and craniotomy procedures.

Methods: 12 different 3D-printed skull models were manufactured using 5 different materials (polyether ether ketone, White Resin, Rigid 10K, Bone, and Skull) from 3 different 3D print processes (fused filament fabrication, stereolithography [SLA], and material jetting).

Evaluation of 3D Printed Burr Hole Simulation Models Using 8 Different Materials.

Objective: 3D printing is increasingly used to fabricate three-dimensional neurosurgical simulation models, making training more accessible and economical. 3D printing includes various technologies with different capabilities for reproducing human anatomy. This study evaluated different materials across a broad range of 3D printing technologies to identify the combination that most precisely represents the parietal region of the skull for burr hole simulation.

Multi-jet fusion for additive manufacturing of radiotherapy immobilization devices: Effects of color, thickness, and orientation on surface dose and tensile strength.

Immobilization devices are used to obtain reproducible patient setup during radiotherapy treatment, improving accuracy, and reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Additive manufacturing is emerging as a viable method for manufacturing and personalizing such devices. The goal of this study was to investigate the dosimetric and mechanical properties of a recent additive technology called multi-jet fusion (MJF) for radiotherapy applications, including the ability for this process to produce full color parts.

Properties and Characteristics of Three-Dimensional Printed Head Models Used in Simulation of Neurosurgical Procedures: A Scoping Review.

Background: Intracranial surgery can be complex and high risk. Safety, ethical and financial factors make training in the area challenging. Head model 3-dimensional (3D) printing is a realistic training alternative to patient and traditional means of cadaver and animal model simulation.

A review of 3D printed patient specific immobilisation devices in radiotherapy.

Background And Purpose: Radiotherapy is one of the most effective cancer treatment techniques, however, delivering the optimal radiation dosage is challenging due to movements of the patient during treatment. Immobilisation devices are typically used to minimise motion. This paper reviews published research investigating the use of 3D printing (additive manufacturing) to produce patient-specific immobilisation devices, and compares these to traditional devices.

3D Printing: An Alternative Microfabrication Approach with Unprecedented Opportunities in Design.

In the past decade, 3D printing technologies have been adopted for the fabrication of microfluidic devices. Extrusion-based approaches including fused filament fabrication (FFF), jetting technologies including inkjet 3D printing, and vat photopolymerization techniques including stereolithography (SLA) and digital light projection (DLP) are the 3D printing methods most frequently adopted by the microfluidic community. Each printing technique has merits toward the fabrication of microfluidic devices.

Infill selection for 3D printed radiotherapy immobilisation devices.

3D printing provides new opportunities to create devices used during radiotherapy treatments, yet little is known about the effect process parameters play on the proposed devices. This study investigates the combined influence of infill pattern, infill density and print orientation on surface dose, as well as on the mechanical properties of 3D printed samples, identifying the optimal infill patterns for use in radiotherapy devices including immobilisation. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) was used to produce sixty samples in two orientations for surface dose measurement, utilising ten different infill patterns.