Radiation-free solution announced for 3D printing before surgery

A European partnership has received funds to develop an end-to-end radiation-free solution for 3D printed orthopaedic models for pre-operative planning.

The partnership, which is across academia and industry includes the University Medical Center Utrecht, MRIguidance and Axial3D.

This solution will aim to reduce surgery time and improve clinical outcomes. It will be designed using imaging software, 3D printing expertise and clinical validation.

There are many advantages with pre-operative planning using 3D anatomical models. This includes improved surgical outcomes, reduced time in theatre, less blood loss, a lower infection risk and less associated complications. However, 3D printing of bony pathologies currently requires imaging with harmful radiation and a laborious and time-consuming workflow. Therefore, this partnership aims to overcome these limitations, and pave the way for the widespread adoption of 3D-printed models for patient-specific orthopaedic treatment.

Roel Raatgever, CEO of MRIguidance commented: “Our BoneMRI imaging technology visualises bone with an MRI scan. These images can serve as source images to develop the 3D printed models. I am very happy with our collaboration with Axial3D and UMC Utrecht. We form a strong and complementary team that can bring this project to a success.”

Niall Haslam, CTO of Axial3D added: “It’s with great pleasure that we announce our partnership with UMC Utrecht and MRIguidance. The collaboration between our organisations aims to deliver an improved patient experience while giving surgeons access to game-changing medical imaging for extremely complex orthopaedic cases.”