3D Printing Helps Surgeons Perform Complex Operations in Russia’s Sverdlovsk Region
Doctors prepare for procedures by studying full-scale models of a patient’s skull and spine.
Specialists at the Sverdlovsk Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital for War Veterans are increasingly using 3D printing technology to prepare patients for complex surgeries. A dedicated laboratory at the hospital produces anatomical models of patients’ skulls and spinal structures using tomography data. The approach allows surgeons to study each patient’s anatomy in advance and tailor treatment plans more precisely.
Hospital specialists have already produced around 20 full-scale 3D models built at a 1:1 ratio. Doctors can examine the models physically, take measurements, determine the optimal incision, select patient positioning, and map instrument trajectories before surgery begins. Physicians say the technology marks a major improvement over conventional CT scan analysis because two-dimensional images cannot provide the same level of spatial detail.
Medical staff say the new technologies align with the goals of Russia’s national project “Prodolzhitelnaya i aktivnaya zhizn” (Long and Active Life).
