TRENTO. A aorta model, faithful in size and detail to the original of a patient on the list for an urgent intervention, was made using a latest generation 3D printer in the ProM Facility laboratory of Trentino Development in Polo Meccatronica, at the request of Ultrasound Lab Trento (ULTRa) of the University of Trento al Department of Engineering and Information Science.
The model was commissioned on the basis of the CT indications and data provided by the Vascular Surgery Unit of the Santa Chiara hospital in Trento. Before even operating on the patient, i surgeons of the Unit directed by Dr. Stefano Bonvini they were able to analyze the conformation of that particular aorta with greater precision and in complete safety and choose the most effective intervention among the various possible solutions, planning it in detail.
Although it is not the first ever 3D print of an aorta – underlines a note – the one made by the University of Trentino has unique characteristics of great interest for the surgical teams. The advantage lies in the type of material – radio-opaque and transparent – and in the remarkable speed of realization compared to other solutions.