
European consortium receives money to develop an end-to-end solution for 3D printed orthopedic models for presurgical planning.
Utrecht, March 11th, 2019 – University Medical Center Utrecht, axial3D and MRIguidance have been granted the European Eurostars grant to co-develop their 3D printing innovation for presurgical planning in orthopedics. By combining MRIguidance’ imaging software with the 3D printing expertise of axial3D and the clinical validation in UMC Utrecht, we will create an end-to-end solution for radiation free presurgical planning. It is the aim to reduce surgery time and improve the clinical outcome.
Preoperative planning with 3D models of affected anatomical structures improves surgical outcomes, reducing operative time, blood loss, infection risk and associated complications. However, 3D-printing of bony pathologies currently requires imaging with harmful radiation and a laborious and time-consuming workflow. The European consortium aims to overcome these limitations, thereby paving the way for widespread adoption of 3D-printed models for patient specific orthopedic treatment.
“Our BoneMRI imaging technology that visualizes bone with an MRI scan. These images can serve as source images to develop the 3D-printed models.” according to Roel Raatgever, CEO of MRIguidance. “I am very happy with our collaboration with axial3D and UMC Utrecht. We form a strong and complementary team that can bring this project to a success.” The innovation is aimed to be available for use in the clinic in 2021.