All articles Manufacturing Medical Software

In Search of a Golden Voice: Using 3D Modeling to Improve Phonosurgery in Transgender Women

Stephanie Benoit
April 26, 2016
In Search of a Golden Voice: Using 3D Modeling to Improve Phonosurgery in Transgender Women

Gender reassignment surgery has come a long way since Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld performed some of the world’s first male-to-female operations in Berlin in the 1930’s. Transsexual men and women are able to reassign their gender with a much higher degree of success than in those early 20th century operations, and the medical field is continuously advancing its possibilities. Mimics Innovation Award winner Dr. Claudio Storck is one such researcher evolving the boundaries of what is possible. A specialist in Otolaryngology, or the field of medicine which deals with the ear, nose and throat region, he has focused his research on improving the outcome of phonosurgery in transgender patients.

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A New Method to Evaluate Hip Prostheses: Simulating Gait Cycles

Sandrine Debecker
April 25, 2016
A New Method to Evaluate Hip Prostheses: Simulating Gait Cycles

Hip disorders such as cartilage degeneration or bone fractures are common pathologies which are often treated with prosthetic surgery. Andrea Calvo-Echenique from the University of Zaragoza, Spain investigated how to prolong the lifespan of hip prostheses, and assessed the best options by comparing different stems and bearing materials. Her goals were to reduce the wear in bearing surfaces, as well as reducing the loosening of the stem, which tends to be caused by a lack of mechanical load in the bone. She received a Mimics innovation Award for the best poster submission in 2015.

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Removing a Rare Sinus Tumor: Medical 3D Printing at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital

Liesbeth Kemel
April 21, 2016
Removing a Rare Sinus Tumor: Medical 3D Printing at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital

15-year-old Parker Turchan was faced with an unexpected and life-threatening tumor, located in his nose and sinuses, and which extended all the way through his skull to his brain. Referred to the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, doctors faced the limitations of conventional endoscopy as the sinus tumor extended so deep into the bone they were unable to visualize it completely.

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Stent Struts in Sidewall Cerebral Aneurysm Can Reduce the Flow Velocity Twice

Sandrine Debecker
April 18, 2016
Stent Struts in Sidewall Cerebral Aneurysm Can Reduce the Flow Velocity Twice

Stent-assisted coil embolization (SACE) is widely accepted for the endovascular treatment of wide-neck or complex cerebral aneurysms. Dr. Kenichi Kono and his team at the Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital of Kanagawa in Japan have assessed and compared the hemodynamic effect of stent struts and straightening of vessels. They tested out the effects of stent placement on reducing flow velocity in sidewall cerebral aneurysms with the goal of reducing recanalization rates. Thanks to this groundbreaking study, Dr. Kono was the Global Mimics Innovation Award winner in 2015.

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Gaining a Better Understanding of LAA Closure through 3D Printing

Sandrine Debecker
April 15, 2016
Gaining a Better Understanding of LAA Closure through 3D Printing

Despite careful planning, the complex dimensions of the left atrial appendage (LAA) and its variable morphology can result in procedural failure. To make their pre-operative planning even more thorough, a team of Australian physicians from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney turned to medical 3D Printing. The team created an exact replica of a patient's heart while planning a LAA closure procedure with a Boston Scientific Watchman™ device.

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Anatomy Education at its Best: Printing and Painting Replicas of Donor Hearts

Julie Maes
April 12, 2016
Anatomy Education at its Best: Printing and Painting Replicas of Donor Hearts

What do donor hearts and 3D Printing have in common? The answer to this is the University of Minnesota’s Visible Heart® Lab. Not content with simply teaching their students with 2D images, the team at the lab has moved their academic approach to a whole new level: 3D models of real human hearts. Imagine being able to train as a surgeon with a complete, tangible heart model, as opposed to learning off paper! And imagine acquiring the skills to make 3D models for any operation you might perform throughout your career? Here’s how Materialise enables the Visible Heart Lab’s unique approach to teaching, education and research.

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Using 3D Images to Predict Thyroplasty Success

Stephanie Benoit
April 11, 2016

There are a variety of surgical and medical options that a transgender person can choose from to reassign their gender. However, even after surgery, a transgender woman might still retain the low voice that is characteristic of her original, male gender. Sometimes this can be improved through speech therapy, but if that fails, the patient will usually be referred to a laryngologist for phonosurgery.

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How 3D Models of Woodpecker Anatomy Can Further Anti-Shock Device Design

Sandrine Debecker
April 08, 2016
How 3D Models of Woodpecker Anatomy Can Further Anti-Shock Device Design

Designing structures and devices that protect the human body from shocks and vibrations during high-velocity impacts is a universal challenge. Scientists and engineers focusing on this challenge try to understand and replicate or improve on anti-shock mechanisms found in nature. The woodpecker stands out in this field of study: it can peck trees at high frequency (up to 25 Hz) and high speed (up to 7 m/s and 1200 g deceleration) without suffering any brain injury. So how can woodpecker anatomy help improve anti-shock devices?

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Visualizing Kyphoscoliosis Surgery with a 3D-Printed Spine Model

Liesbeth Kemel
April 06, 2016
Visualizing Kyphoscoliosis Surgery with a 3D-Printed Spine Model

Specialist spine surgeons at the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool used medical 3D Printing in preparation for a life-changing surgery. The patient in question was an eight-year-old from Wales with kyphoscoliosis, a complex congenital spinal problem. The surgeons modeled and printed her spine in 3D, giving them a much better oversight for the procedure.

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Raising the Bar for Vehicle Safety with the Development of Parametric Models

Alex M
April 04, 2016
Raising the Bar for Vehicle Safety with the Development of Parametric Models

There are many hypotheses about the effects of human characteristics on injuries, and they can be assessed more accurately through the use of a parametric human finite element (FE) model. This model can be morphed automatically into other models to represent a diverse population. Dr. Jingwen Hu and his team at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, USA have managed to develop this very same parametric model, and have given it the ability to predict injuries and represent different human anatomies. Dr. Hu won the first prize for the “Best Article Award: North & South America” of the Mimics Innovation Awards in 2015.

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