Welcome to the fourth and last edition of July’s Neuroscience Highlight! Scroll below to learn more! Come back next week for August’s first highlight: Oncology!
Neurology and 3D printing
By Avantika Samanta
Our world is constantly changing. New ways of doing things are being found everyday, and the world is advancing. 3D printing has become popular throughout the last few years, and this technology can be utilized in several ways. 3D printing is being used in several ways, such as being used to make rocket engines, to create automobile prototypes, to design prosthetics, and more. 3D technology is very versatile, and is even being used to help neurosurgeons. In the field of Neurosurgery, 3D printing can be used to create patient specific models that can be used for surgical planning and education, to help train and better prepare medical students, and to develop and create biologically engineered implants.
First of all, 3D printing can help with the surgical planning and modeling for the resection of a brain tumor. Currently, surgeons use MRI technologies and more to plan their operation, differentiating between the tumor itself and the surrounding tissue. 3D printing technology has allowed for MRI data to be translated to physical models that are patient specific that show the skull, tumor, surrounding brain tissue, and the vasculature. Neurosurgical procedures are complex and intricate. Using these models it is easier for surgeons to recognize the location and extent of the tumor, improving preoperative planning and mapping. These models also help in the area of patient education. A 3D model helps the patient increase their understanding of the procedure and helps them comprehend the different risks and benefits.
Along with this, 3D printing technology can also help with surgical training and different simulation. Understanding anatomy is vital when learning about the surgical treatment of spine fractures. Neuroimaging technologies like MRI’s and CT’s are helpful, but it is still challenging to interpret spinal fractures from only 2D images, yet new 3D printing technologies have allowed for models of these spinal fractures to be made. There was a study conducted to determine whether or not 3D representations would be helpful for medical students. It was found that students were better able to identify complicated aspects of fracture anatomy with the 3D models. Nearly all of the trainees considered the physical model to have improved and enhanced their knowledge compared to just the 2D representations.
One more way 3D printing is being, or can be involved in neurosurgery would be for this technology to print biologically engineered implants. In one groundbreaking 23 hour operation, neurosurgeons successfully implanted a part of a 3D printed skull. The patient suffers from a chronic bone disorder, where her skull increased in thickness and caused severe headaches and worsened eyesight. The implant was very large and designed specifically for the patient, made up of an unspecified plastic. This procedure saved the patient from serious brain damage or death in the future. The operation is considered to be quite successful, the patient has regained their eyesight and is symptom free. There is hope that this technique will be used in the future to repair severely damaged skulls or for other patients with other bone disorders.
These methods are all incredible, and are bound to make lasting impacts on society. The future of medicine is evolving, there are newer ways of educating patients, training future medical professionals, and newer surgical innovations which can be considered more effective.
As Thomas Edison once said, “There’s a way to do it better- find it.”
Navigating Neurological Cancer
By Vanessa Cano
“Your brain controls your independence, your quality of life, your entire existence. Brain mets can bring on a loss of hope and a fear of loss of self. It’s not just a body part that’s at risk, it’s our life as who we are. My first thought was not my brain! To me, that meant I would lose me.”
Cancer in itself is a diagnosis that no one wishes to hear for themselves or a loved one. Yet cancer is the nation’s second leading cause of death after heart disease. Every year, about 180,000 Americans are diagnosed with neurologic cancer. This can be in the brain, spinal cord, or other parts of the nervous system. However, there has been an increase of neurological complications in which the most common type of brain tumor does not originate from the brain tissue, but from metastases in extracranial cancers such as lung or breast cancer. The quote above is an example and a perspective of a breast cancer patient who faced those neurological complications.
The fact is, that many cancers tend to spread into the central nervous system. The cancer may also spread into the peripheral nervous system through nerve roots, plexi, or muscle. And unfortunately, it can cause significant neurologic morbidity and mortality. There are also many cancers that can begin just in the brain, Glioblastoma being the most aggressive type. Even if the tumors were benign, they may grow and press on nearby areas of the brain causing trouble walking, personality/behavioral changes, and violent seizures. Malignant tumors however would likely grow and spread into other brain tissues, which can also affect the functions of the brain. In the spinal cord, it can be just as devastating given the fact that surgery may also lead to nerve damage.
This is why neurological cancer is studied across America where there have been an increasing amount of clinical trials being tested in order to find solutions in neurological cancer. Cancer treatment will always have a risk, whether it is surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or even stem cell treatment. However, the research for a more effective treatment has not stopped. For instance, the Pacific Neuroscience Institute has created their own system called the Optune which is a device, that is in its second trial phase, provides a specific electromagnetic field that prevents cancer cells from growing. The Stephenson Cancer Center has also created a new treatment delivery system that focuses on electrical transducers placed on the head which has already been FDA approved as a treatment for recurrent glioblastoma. There have also been new drugs and treatment protocols tested every year including biomarkers or oncolytic virus therapy. In which case, it is important to see that the research has not stopped there and is an important topic in neuroscience.
Works Cited:
3D Printing and Neurosurgery
MA;, Liew Y;Beveridge E;Demetriades AK;Hughes. “3D Printing of Patient-Specific Anatomy: A Tool to Improve Patient Consent and Enhance Imaging Interpretation by Trainees.” British Journal of Neurosurgery, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25822093/.
Oishi M;Fukuda M;Yajima N;Yoshida K;Takahashi M;Hiraishi T;Takao T;Saito A;Fujii Y;, Makato. “Interactive Presurgical Simulation Applying Advanced 3D Imaging and Modeling Techniques for Skull Base and Deep Tumors.” Journal of Neurosurgery, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23581591/.
Randazzo, Michael, et al. “3D Printing in Neurosurgery: A Systematic Review.” Surgical Neurology International, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 14 Nov. 2016, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5122816/.
Tufnell, Nicholas. “Neurosurgeons Successfully Implant 3D Printed Skull.” WIRED UK, WIRED UK, 11 July 2019, http://www.wired.co.uk/article/3d-printed-skull.
Neurological Cancer:
Giglio, P., & Gilbert, M. (2010, January). Neurologic complications of cancer and its treatment. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3637950/
Kpirnie. (2019, August 02). Cancer Clinical Trials: Pushing the Pace of Progress. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/blog/clinical-trials/cancer-clincial-trials-pushing-the-pace-of-progress/
Mobley, N. (2016, August 11). Promising New Treatment Targets Deadly Brain Cancer. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://stephensoncancercenter.org/About/News-Events/Calendar/Event/promising-new-treatment-targets-deadly-brain-cancer
Recommended Book:
Medical Wonders 