Young researchers from Alicante have developed a system that Simulates anatomical models of arterial networks in a real way and ‘à la carte’ of any patient, through 3D printingand which is already applied to plan and test brain aneurysm operations in the Neuroradiology Service of the Alicante General University Hospital Doctor Balmis.
The one in Alicante is the first public hospital in Spain that uses this innovative technology for surgical training in those complicated cases in the specialty of vascular interventional neuroradiology due to its greater technical difficulty or because the material that will have to be used is unknown beforehand. in the operation, especially in cerebral aneurysms (bulges in blood vessels in the brain that can inflate and burst, causing brain bleeding).
What is a cerebral aneurysm?
An aneurysm is a cerebrovascular disease characterized by a dilation of the arterial wall that can lead to a rupture or internal bleeding.
Symptoms of a brain aneurysm
Aneurysms are generally asymptomatic, they only manifest when they become large, leak blood or rupture, causing very intense headaches, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, seizures or sudden loss of consciousness. If the aneurysm presses on nerves in the brain, it can cause a drooping eyelid, double vision, dilated pupils, pain above or behind the eye, and numbness or weakness on one side of the face or body. Various tests such as angiography or CT are used to diagnose brain aneurysms.
What are the causes of brain aneurysm?
The dilations that end up causing cerebral aneurysms cause failures in the blood vessel wall that trigger an increase in its diameter, which carries the risk of rupture and massive internal bleeding. The main risk factors that can lead to this are: hypertension, smoking, certain diseases, family history or infections in the central nervous system or brain, among others.
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