First AI-assisted cranial surgery successfully performed in Ecuador

A medical team in Ecuador successfully performed the first cranioplasty with the assistance of artificial intelligence. The patient, a 15-year-old boy, is recovering satisfactorily

A medical team in Ecuador performed the first AI-assisted cranioplasty on a 15-year-old boy at the Nueva Aurora Luz Elena Arismendi Pediatric Gynecological Obstetric Hospital in the capital, in collaboration with the Riobamba Provincial General Teaching Hospital.

Doctors have indicated that a 3D printing model guided by artificial intelligence was used to design “the implant to adapt to the patient’s anatomy, ensuring a perfect fit and allowing for better adaptation and functionality,” according to the Ministry of Health.

To obtain the 3D model, previous images obtained from a computed tomography (CT) scan were used to reconstruct the bone defect.

With this procedure, the medical team managed to create “a Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) implant, a biocompatible material that allows bone cells to grow on its surface, reducing the risk of rejection of the implant because it is similar to bone.”

The placement of the 3D printing modeling plasty was fixed with self-drilling plates and screws, the public entity indicated.

It is important to note that cranioplasty is a surgical procedure that aims to correct “cranial defects, whether morphological or structural, by reconstructing the skull with various materials, usually a piece of the patient’s bone or a synthetic material.”

Doctors recommend it when it is necessary to correct traumas, previous surgical procedures or in the case of congenital malformations. With the intervention, “we seek to protect the brain and improve the aesthetics and functionality of the head.”

M.Pino

Source: DW

(Reference image source: Getty Images for Unsplash+)

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