Materialise medical virtual planning
“At Materialise, we believe in the power of our mission to create a better and healthier world.” - Bryan Crutchfield, Vice President and General Manager of Materialise North America.
Materialise has provided its 3D imaging and printing solutions to numerous medical professions across the United States to analyse and select ideal patients for clinical trials based on their anatomy.
The Belgian 3D printing company has partnered with several medical institutes, offering up its 3D printing software and service to enhance efficiency in extensive trials. Cardiovascular medical device developers often need to carry out trials for their products and procedures to ensure they are both safe and effective.
Once patients are selected, 3D printed, patient-specific anatomical models can be used to help the medical professionals develop surgical plans. These plans can give both surgeons and patients a better understanding of the procedure, and is generally said to lead to more positive outcomes. Meanwhile, 3D printing is also used to produce prototypes and manufacture the devices to be used in practice.
“At Materialise, we believe in the power of our mission to create a better and healthier world,” said Bryan Crutchfield, Vice President and General Manager of Materialise North America. “We work very closely with teams at our partner hospitals and medical device companies to explore opportunities to assist in complex, innovative medical procedures. By working with our partners to leverage 3D printing for more effective and efficient clinical trials, we are helping them bring innovative devices and procedures to market and improve care for patients.”
One of these partners is Henry Ford Health System, based in Detroit, Michigan. Serving its patients with severe mitral valve disease, the Henry Ford Innovation Institute and the Henry Ford Center for Structural Heart Disease came together to develop a patient screening and planning solution. Since the new transcatheter mitral valve repair and replacement devices deal with complex 3D anatomy, accurate virtual planning is of paramount importance. Without it, the success of the medical procedure is put at risk.
“The results that we’ve had using 3D computer aided design imaging have been nothing short of remarkable,” said Dee Dee Wang, M.D., director of structural heart imaging at Henry Ford Hospital, and medical director, 3D printing, Henry Ford Innovation Institute. “These virtual models allow us to plan and personalise each patient’s procedure before it happens, minimising the risk of complications. Because we care for the sickest of the sick, that makes this a real game changer.”
