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Updated: Mar 31, 2026
Image-Guided Resection of Glioblastoma and Intracranial Implantation of Therapeutic Stem Cell-seeded Scaffolds
Published on: July 16, 2018
3D-printed navigation templates combined with multimodal imaging assist low-grade glioma surgery: a retrospective
Jun Qiu1, Xin-Yi Cao2, Yong Yi2
1Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second People's Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, Sichuan, China.
Objective:
To evaluate the feasibility of using patient-specific 3D-printed navigation templates combined with multimodal imaging for low-grade glioma (LGG) surgery.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 55 patients with supratentorial LGGs. Twenty-seven patients underwent surgery guided by a 3D-printed navigation template with multimodal 3D imaging (3D-printed group), and 28 received conventional neuronavigation-assisted surgery (control group). Perioperative outcomes-including operative time, tumor resection extent, intraoperative navigation usage, complications, and functional recovery-were compared.
Results:
The 3D-printed group had significantly shorter operative times (256.2 ± 9.8 vs. 271.6 ± 8.9 min, P < 0.05) and required fewer intraoperative navigation checks (0.2 ± 0.4 vs. 2.3 ± 1.6, P < 0.05). Tumor resection extent was comparable; residual volumes were categorized objectively (<10, 10-20, >20 cm³), with a trend toward lower residuals in the 3D group. Postoperative KPS scores and complication rates were similar between groups.
Conclusion:
Combining 3D-printed navigation templates with multimodal imaging enhances surgical precision and efficiency in LGG resection while reducing dependence on costly intraoperative systems. This approach is safe, cost-effective, and especially useful in resource-limited environments.
