Surgical planning for the removal of cranial espheno-orbitary meningioma through the use of personalized polymeric prototypes obtained with an additive manufacturing technique

This study describes a clinical case and the results of the application of additive manufacturing for surgical planning in the removal of cranial spheno-orbital meningioma. It is verified that the use of personalized anatomical models and cutting guides helps to manage the cranial anomalies approach. The application of additive manufacturing technology: Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), as a low-cost alternative, enables the printing of the test anatomical model, which in turn favors the reduction of surgery time, as well the morbidity rate reduction. And the printing of the personalized cutting guide constitutes a valuable aid to the surgeon in terms of improving the intervention precision and reducing the invasive effect during the craniotomy. Also, the use of open-source software in medicine represents several advantages, among them the reduction of costs and greater flexibility. As part of the results, post-surgical follow-up is included as an instrument to verify the patient’s recovery and the validity of the procedure.