A Custom Skull Model Changes the Face of Surgical Navigation
Our model helps one customer improve the quality and outcomes of sensitive skull and brain surgeries.
With image-guided surgery becoming an increasingly popular option for skull surgeries, techniques are evolving to be more precise and less invasive. This means safer surgeries for patients who rely on both the skill and the tools their surgeons use to get them through delicate operations.
A customer with a novel product for surgical navigation approached us about options for a skull and brain model they could use for training. Their product uses surface registration to merge patient CT scans for better navigation and easier placement of external ventricular drains. Innovation excites us, and the opportunity to help this customer further a technology and education that improves surgical outcomes was a challenge we were pleased to take on.
A Challenge to Overcome
We needed to make a replaceable skull and brain model with a reusable base that would facilitate use of the customer’s product with easy and consistent facial surface registration. We determined the model had to consist of three parts: a rigid base with attached ventricles, a ballistics grade brain and a boney calvarium.
The goal was to create a consistent training platform with modular components while retaining high registration scores to CT images to make the most of working with our customer’s product.
A Much-Needed Solution
Using our patented boney settings, we created a reusable skull model that allows for realistic instrumentation and provides haptic feedback. As with all our models, it’s compatible with different types of imagining and provides a reproducable platform for training with little to no setup required.
The ballistics grade brain model can be used multiple times for simulated surgeries and EVD placements. It can be replaced as needed for continued accurate use. The reusable nature of the base and brain ensures reduced model costs for our customers. It’s also an eco-friendly solution, involving less material waste. It also eliminates the additional expense, waste and logistical hassles that come with traditional cadaveric training.
Driving Results That Make an Impact
Beyond saving time and money, the biggest impact our custom models have is allowing our customer to provide excellent consistent training to surgeons, allowing them to master new skills that help them do their job more efficiently and effectively. And ultimately, patients benefit – which is the true driving force behind surgical innovation.
Get in touch with us today to see how we can help you make an impact with a custom model.
