Doctors Use Mcor Technologies' Paper-based 3D Printing Technology to Dramatically Reduce Surgical Time

DUNLEER, Ireland, Aug. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mcor Technologies Ltd, manufacturer of the only line of desktop paper-based 3D printers, announced today that its customer, Cliniques universitaires saint Luc, Universite catholique de Louvain (UCL) in Belgium, is using Mcor's Selective Deposition Lamination (SDL) paper-based 3D printing technology to create accurate physical models of patients' bone structures, serving as surgical guides for metal implants. This has resulted in a reduction in surgery times by an hour or more, savings of 20,000 € annually and an improvement in patient outcomes.

Time is critical when a patient is undergoing surgery; the longer the patient's internal tissue is exposed, the greater the risk. This concern is on the minds of maxillofacial surgeons at the Cliniques universitaires saint Luc, Universite catholique de Louvain (UCL) in Belgium, who often need to reconstruct bones in a patient's skull, such as a jaw ravaged by cancer or an eye socket crushed in a car accident.

The surgeons employ paper 3D printing technology from Mcor Technologies to recoup hours from traditional surgical procedures. Working from the digitally scanned contours of patients' bones, doctors push a button to create full-size 3D physical models they can use as surgical guides.

Since the model is a facsimile of the patient's actual physiology, surgeons can use it to precisely shape metal inserts that fit along a patient's residual bone. The insert might be a plate that supports a damaged mandible or a titanium mesh for reconstructing a damaged eye socket. Without 3D physical models to work from, surgeons would be forced to rely on time-consuming trial and error to shape the metal implants and risk potential tissue damage.

"With each procedure, we easily win an hour in the operating room, and that's a major benefit for the patient," says Professor Raphael Olszewski, a surgeon and head of the university's oral and maxillofacial surgery research lab (OMFS Lab, UCL). "We open the patient up, slide in the device, check the fit and start the patient's recovery."

The 3D physical skull and mandible models are produced by an Mcor Matrix paper-based 3D printer. To create a 3D model, Olszewski's team takes a CT or cone-beam CT scan of the patient and uses Maxilim software to export the section of bone they're interested in. They quickly transform the 3D file into a printable, watertight solid and print the bone model with ease.

The team purchased the Mcor 3D printer after five years of using a ZPrinter (resin powder-based 3D printer). The ZPrinter produced more costly models and required an extensive post-processing step that employed toxic chemicals (cyanoacrylate). The chemicals required a special license to handle and a special room for the post-processing. Olszewski's team finds the chemicals incompatible with education and healthcare.

"We went looking for an eco-friendly solution and found Mcor," says Olszewski. Mcor 3D printers are the only ones that create models from paper (standard Letter/A4 sheets). When the sheets are cut and bound together, the model is tough, durable and stable – no infiltration is required. After use, models can be disposed of in the recycling bin for cradle-to-grave sustainability.

Mcor 3D printers employ water-based adhesive – no toxic fumes, lasers, airborne powder or toxic resins – enabling the machine to easily co-exist in an office or classroom. Part cost is 5 percent of other technologies' costs, and total cost of Mcor ownership is a fraction of that of the competition.

Olszewski estimates that a model made with Mcor costs about half that of the ZPrinter and about one-tenth that of stereolithography. With Olszewski's team making models every day, that's a savings of more than 20,000 € per year.

"The Mcor 3D printer gives us a really affordable 3D model that opens up a great many possibilities for 3D modeling in maxillofacial surgery," says Olszewski.

In addition to creating models of surgical patients, Olszewski's team creates models for the lab. The team is constantly refining its processes so that surgical guide use is increasingly precise. One way the team does this is by CT scanning models and superimposing the images on CT scans of patients. This way, the team can gauge the accuracy of modeling and improve the success of the surgeries. The ease and affordability of producing 3D physical skull models is enabling Olszewski's team to constantly expand the range of procedures that can be accelerated using 3D printed surgical guides.

Though powerful, the Mcor 3D printer is surprisingly intuitive, notes Olszewski, even for busy surgeons who need to constantly focus on their craft. The team has also discovered that Mcor models, though paper, can be sterilized. That means surgeons will soon be bringing them into the operating room. As 3D printing's role quickly evolves, Olszewski sees 3D printing as a powerful, affordable and accessible alternative to highly expensive neuronavigation systems that ensure accuracy in surgery.

"There are many potential applications in medicine for Mcor's affordable and eco-friendly process," says Olszewski. "Look for 3D paper printing not only in surgery, but in medical equipment engineering and biomedical engineering. We're really at the beginning."

About Mcor Technologies Ltd
Mcor Technologies Ltd is an innovative manufacturer of the world's most affordable, full-color and eco-friendly 3D printers. They are the only 3D printers to use ordinary business letter and A4 paper as the build material, a choice that renders durable, stable and tactile models. Established in 2004 with a talented team of specialists in the area of 3D printing, software and CAD/CAM, Mcor's vision is to make 3D printing more accessible to everyone. The company operates internationally from offices in Ireland, the UK and US. www.mcortechnologies.com.

SOURCE Mcor Technologies Ltd