3D printing in neurosurgery education: a review

Abstract

Objectives The objectives of this manuscript were to review the literature concerning 3D printing of brain and cranial vault pathology and use these data to define the gaps in global utilization of 3D printing technology for neurosurgical education. Methods Using specified criteria, literature searching was conducted to identify publications describing engineered neurosurgical simulators. Included in the study were manuscripts highlighting designs validated for neurosurgical skill transfer. Purely anatomical designs, lacking aspects of surgical simulation, were excluded. Eligible manuscripts were analyzed. Data on the types of simulators, representing the various modelled neurosurgical pathologies, were recorded. Authors’ countries of affiliation were also recorded. Results A total of thirty-six articles, representing ten countries in five continents were identified. Geographically, Africa as a continent was not represented in any of the publications. The simulation-modelling encompassed a variety of neurosurgical subspecialties including: vascular, skull base, ventriculoscopy / ventriculostomy, craniosynostosis, skull lesions / skull defects, intrinsic brain tumor and other. Finally, the vascular and skull base categories together accounted for over half (52.8 %) of the 3D printed simulated neurosurgical pathology. Conclusions Despite the growing body of literature supporting 3D printing in neurosurgical education, its full potential has not been maximized. Unexplored areas of 3D printing for neurosurgical simulation include models simulating the resection of intrinsic brain tumors or of epilepsy surgery lesions, as these require complex models to accurately simulate fine dissection techniques. 3D printed surgical phantoms offer an avenue for the advancement of global-surgery education initiatives.

Three-dimensional printing in otolaryngology education: a systematic review

“…The distribution map of prototype publications reveals a noticeable scarcity of 3D-printing technology in the African continent and in South America, which corroborates the research by Thiong'o [43]. The development of 3D technological solutions for surgical teaching, as well as the approach's application in medical practice by residents/fellows, is more prevalent in North America and Europe compared to other regions [43].…”

“…Although 3D models and simulators have several broad benefits in surgical teaching, as mentioned in the literature, associated costs, limitations in the reproduction of the complex head and neck anatomy, material limitations, and the gradual development of models that effectively simulate the intraoperative reality are impediments to the use of such models and simulators. Studies with long follow-up times and those that compare traditional models (cadaver and animal parts) and 3D models should further ratify the use of 3D models in surgical teaching [31,43].…”

The “springform” technique in cranioplasty: custom made 3D-printed templates for intraoperative modelling of polymethylmethacrylate cranial implants

“…In recent years, 3D printing has become a commonly used tool in neurosurgery [21,27], with a number of practical applications such as anatomic models [28], surgical education and operation planning [15,16,18]. Several ideas have been tested using 3D-printed moulds for intraoperative or preoperative formation of custom implants for cranioplasty [1-3, 5, 10, 13, 14, 23, 25, 26], even for posterior fossa reconstructions [20].…”

Development of a CT-Compatible, Anthropomorphic Skull and Brain Phantom for Neurosurgical Planning, Training, and Simulation

“…Several neurosurgical 3D training models have previously been described [ 28 , 29 ]. The ones that most closely resemble the current phantom were described by Grillo et al [ 30 ] and Craven et al [ 31 ].…”