Mount Sinai Establishes 3D Printing Services for Clinicians and Researchers
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 06, 2016 -- Mount Sinai Health System today announced the creation of the Medical Modeling Core, a collaboration led by the Department of Neurosurgery, where clinicians can confer and order 3D models for their cases. Virtual reality, simulation, and 3D printing services will be provided on a low-cost fee-for-service basis with quick turnaround times. This resource will be the first of its kind catering to the unique patient-specific modeling requirements of clinicians at Mount Sinai.
“Our simulation, prototyping, and 3D printing resources developed here at Mount Sinai are rare for a medical institution,” says Joshua Bederson, MD, Professor and System Chair for the Department of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Health System and Clinical Director of the Neurosurgery Simulation Core. “These models are used in the planning stages for minimally invasive approaches and can be a trial run for the surgery. In conjunction with simulation, they also play an important role in the patient consultation process.”
The team handling 3D printing services is led by Anthony Costa, PhD, Assistant Professor for the Department of Neurosurgery and Scientific Director of the Neurosurgery Simulation Core at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Costa has developed segmentation tools and computer code to expedite the process of turning radiological data into models appropriate for 3D printing and modeling. Recent prints include skull-base tumors with surrounding vasculature and cranial nerves, spine modeling for the correction of severe scoliosis, and pelvic models for the planning of arthroplasty. More than half a dozen interdisciplinary collaborations have been established between the Medical Modeling Core and Mount Sinai clinical departments, including neurosurgery, orthopaedics, surgery, otolaryngology and cardiology.
“We’re unique because we can leverage our technological tools with the expertise of radiology and the printing lab to complete projects on a rapid time scale,” said Dr. Costa. “We’re talking about days as opposed to weeks. Mount Sinai is a large institution with a high volume of cases and our patients will benefit from 3D modeling.”
In-house design and production of the 3D models also leads to significant cost savings for Mount Sinai physicians. For example, a print that would cost $500 to model at the hospital could cost ten times that through a vendor.
The Rapid Prototyping Center utilizes four 3D printers as well as a laser cutter to produce patient-specific neuroanatomy for pre-operative planning with exceptionally high resolution. Materials range from gypsum powder base made of plastic, polyamide (nylon), epoxy resin, wax, photopolymers, and polycarbonate. Engineers can fabricate models and functional parts for a wide range of applications.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services—from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.
The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is in the “Honor Roll” of best hospitals in America, ranked No. 15 nationally in the 2016-2017 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report. The Mount Sinai Hospital is also ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 hospitals in Geriatrics, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Ear, Nose & Throat, and is in the top 50 in four other specialties. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 10 nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report in "Best Children's Hospitals."
For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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Matt Kozar, The Mount Sinai Health System, +1 (212) 241-9200, [email protected]
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