The Effect of Preoperative Three Dimensional Modeling and Simulation on Outcome of Intracranial Aneursym Surgery

Three-dimensional (3D) printing in vascular surgery is trending and is useful for the visualisation of intracranial aneurysms for both surgeons and trainees. The 3D models give the surgeon time to practice before hand and plan the surgery accordingly. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of preoperative planning with 3D printing models of aneurysms in terms of surgical time and patient outcomes.

Forty patients were prospectively enrolled in this study and divided into two groups : groups I and II. In group I, only the angiograms were studied before surgery. Solid 3D modelling was performed only for group II before the operation and was studied accordingly. All surgeries were performed by the same senior vascular neurosurgeon. Demographic data, surgical data, both preoperative and postoperative modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores, and Glasgow outcome scores (GOS) were evaluated.

The average time of surgery was shorter in group II, and the difference was statistically significant between the two groups (p<0.001). However, no major differences were found for the GOS, hospitalisation time, or mRS.

This study is the first prospective study of the utility of 3D aneurysm models. We show that 3D models are useful in surgery preparation. In the near future, these models will be used widely to educate trainees and pre-plan surgical options for senior surgeons.