The team spent ten days practicing on the model, before finally operating on Marc once again, performing a two-part surgery, and successfully removing the tumor. Lucas Krauel, the lead surgeon on the operation, explained how 3D printing was able to make the surgery a success, saying, “La impresión nos ha permitido poder “jugar” con el tumor, si se puede decir así, y verlo bien [The 3D print allowed us to ‘play’ with the tumor, you could say, and see it well],” adding that this surgery, “solo es un primer paso de una tecnología que puede tener muchas aplicaciones futuras y que puede llegar a ser más real [is only the first step for a technology that can have many future applications and become more real].”
The hospital has seen about 35 cases like Marcs over the past ten years, but, now that Marc’s tumor has been successfully removed and he will longer need further surgeries, there may be hope for future such operations. This story, and others like it, have proven that, as directly useful as CT and MRI scans are, tangible 3D models can make a life-saving difference.
