Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep 16;12(4):630-634.
doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1734001. eCollection 2021 Oct.

3D Printing-Assisted Skull Base Tumor Surgeries: An Institutional Experience

Sanjeev Chopra  1 , Ashim Kumar Boro  1 , Virendra Deo Sinha  1
Affiliations

3D Printing-Assisted Skull Base Tumor Surgeries: An Institutional Experience

Sanjeev Chopra et al. J Neurosci Rural Pract. .

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology in neurosurgery has gained popularity nowadays. Skull base contains many major neurovascular structures in a confined space, along with anatomical variations making surgical approaches to this region challenging. 3D-printed model of skull base tumors consists of the patient's bony skull base, actual tumor dimensions, and surrounding major neurovascular structures. We included a total number of five patients with skull base tumors (one case of planum sphenoidale meningioma, two cases of sellar tumor with suprasellar extension, and two cases of cerebellopontine angle tumor) and 3D-printed tumor model of each of them. These models were used for preoperative simulation and served as very true to life training tool. These help in increasing the efficacy of the surgeon, improves surgical safety and ergonomics. They were also used for patient counselling, educating about the disease, the surgical procedure, and associated risks.

Keywords: 3D printing; 3D tumor model; skull base.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
( A ) Axial image of MRI brain postcontrast showing recurrent sellar suprasellar mass and ( B ) 3D-printed model of the recurrent sellar-suprasellar mass ( brown ) with blood vessels ( red ) and bony ( white ) relations. 3D, three-dimensional; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
( A ) Coronal images of MRI sella showing sellar-suprasellar mass and ( B ) 3D-printed model of the sellar-suprasellar mass ( yellow ) with blood vessels ( red ), and bony ( white ) relations. 3D, three-dimensional; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
( A ) MRI brain with contrast ( coronal image ) showing planum sphenoidale meningioma and ( B ) 3D-printed model of the planum sphenoidal meningioma ( yellow ) with surrounding major blood vessels ( red ) and optic nerve ( white ). 3D, three-dimensional; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
( A ) MRI DW image of brain showing right CP angle epidermoid and ( B ) 3D-printed model of right CP angle epidermoid ( yellow ) with its blood vessel ( red ), and bony ( white ) relations. 3D, three-dimensional; CP, cerebellopontine; DW, diffusion weighted; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
( A ) MRI brain with contrast enhancement ( sagittal image ) showing left CP angle schwannoma and ( B ) 3D-printed model of left CP angle mass ( gray ) with cranial nerve ( yellow ) and blood vessel ( red ), and bony ( white ) relations. 3D, three-dimensional; CP, cerebellopontine; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Maroon J C. Skull base surgery: past, present, and future trends. Neurosurg Focus. 2005;19(01):E1. - PubMed
    1. Solari D, Villa A, De Angelis M, Esposito F, Cavallo L M, Cappabianca P. Anatomy and surgery of the endoscopic endonasal approach to the skull base. Transl Med UniSa. 2012;2:36–46. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sekhar L N, Juric-Sekhar G, Qazi Z. The future of skull base surgery: a view through tinted glasses. World Neurosurg. 2020;142:29–42. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lin J, Zhou Z, Guan J. Using three-dimensional printing to create individualized cranial nerve models for skull base tumor surgery. World Neurosurg. 2018;120:e142–e152. - PubMed
    1. Kim K, Cho C, Bang M S, Shin H I, Phi J H, Kim S K. Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring: a review of techniques used for brain tumor surgery in children. J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2018;61(03):363–375. - PMC - PubMed