3D printing navigation helps blind boy to see in China

Recently, Professor Li Zefu and associate Professor Li Meng from the Neurosurgery Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University successfully operated on an intracranial cysts-induced patient using 3D printing navigation technology. It is said that the patient recovered quickly after the surgery.

image: Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University

The eight-year-old boy experienced a dramatic reduction on his eyesight and was taken to the hospital after he lost his vision completely for five days. The patient was diagnosed with cystic lesions in the saddle area of his brain after a CT and MRI scan. His optic nerves, optic chiasma and thalamus were heavily pressured and therefore diseased. The department discussed the situation carefully and agreed that a craniotomy was too dangerous for the child to go through. They finally turned to 3D printing navigation technology, which could reduce the pressure within the brain by performing a minimally invasive operation.

They first built a 3D model of the child’s skull to observe the overall situation. During the surgery, they confidently used the 3D printing navigation technology to perform the procedure. The theory behind this is to evacuate the cyst fluid so as to reduce the pressure and recover the eyesight. Currently, the patient has greatly recovered and is continuing to get better.

After a scrutinized review of literature, this operation could very well be the world’s first 3D printing navigation-aided, minimally invasive procedure used to treat a intracranial cystic disease.

Ever since the establishment of the 3D printing medical research center at the Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, doctors have been using 3D printing technology to treat various diseases including basis festival area cerebral, brainstem hemorrhages, spinal fractures, intracranial aneurysms, skull base tumors. The successes of all procedures have been spoken of highly by patients and fellow professionals alike.

Feature image: nanjixiong