A Michigan teen was the beneficiary of surgical finesse and innovation, along with the help of Materialise who provided the technology for a 3D printed model of Ariana Smith’s aorta. Smith was diagnosed with a large, life threatening aortic aneurysm that surgeons hoped to operate with an extremely delicate procedure developed from a new study at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. The surgery would involve inserting a special stent, covered with a unique lining that would become part of the aortic blood vessels and also restrict flow to the aneurysm. Materialise was able to provide them with a detailed 3D printed model of Smith’s aorta so that they could not only plan for the surgery but could also practice inserting the stent into the model. Read more about the model and procedure in the full article: http://3dprint.com/54965/materialise-teen-aortic-model/


Below is a photo of Ariana Smith, some of her medical team, and the 3D printed aortic model: