Stent trachéo-bronchique 3D

3D Custom-Made Airway Stent

Following 3 years of Research & Development with The Toulouse University Hospital, AnatomikModeling and Novatech have joined forces to develop an innovative 3D customized airways stent.

Based on the patient’s CT Scan, this 3D stent is perfectly adapted to the shape of the patient’s trachea and bronchi.

This innovation allows to treat patients with complex stenosis or airways pathologies, and who didn’t benefit until now from an appropriate treatment.

 

Innovative background

AnatomikModeling and the Pulmonology department of Toulouse University Hospital, started a collaboration to find out solutions for patients with complex airways indications, using advanced 3D technologies.

World premiere of a custom-made tracheobronchial stent placement took place in 2016 at Toulouse University Hospital. Followed by 9 more cases included in a Clinical Study to validate the interest of such a personalized medical device.

First results have been published in the most prestigious international pulmonology journal, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (1). Since 2020, AnatomikModeling and Novatech have been cooperating to manufacture and distribute these innovative custom devices in Europe, with the best quality standards.

(1) Guibert N., Didier A., Moreno B., Mhanna L., Brouchet L., Plat G., Hermant C., Mazieres J. Treatment of post transplant complex airway stenosis with a three-dimensional, computer-assisted customized airway stent. – Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2017

Complex indications

Narrowing (or stenosis) of the trachea and/or bronchi leads to breathing difficulties and requires specific management through the implantation of a stent.

Stenosis can occur due to a variety of reasons, such as post-intubation and post-tracheotomy problems, complications after lung transplantation or cancer, diseases of the tracheal tissue ...

Currently, standard airways silicone stents are used for most patients. However, they are not always appropriate, in particular in cases of complex tracheal or bronchial anatomy. Poorly adapted shape can lead to a risk of stent migration, inflammatory reaction and/or perforation.

Unique Device

Customized airways stents, using 3D technologies, are anatomically identical to patients’ trachea and/or bronchi, offering hope to patients for whom standard stents do not fit.

Each stent is unique and fit perfectly each patient’s anatomy, as designed from his CT scan.

These 100% personalized stents are implanted by conventional bronchoscopy with the help of a prosthesis pusher, in the operating room under general anesthesia. Exactly as standard silicone stents.

 

Custom process

Engineers are providing a virtual 3D reconstruction from the CT-scan images of the patient’s airways. 

Based on this 3D reconstruction and on the details given by the physician, engineers design a 3D virtual stent exactly fitting the patient's anatomy. 

The physician review and validate the design, with the help of an interactive 3D-pdf, showing the 3D stent positioned in the virtual airways. 

The 3D virtual stent is used to manufacture the final customized stent out of medical grade silicone elastomer.

Numerous options

Individualization of an airway stent comes along with a multitude of stent design options, in particular:

  • different wall thickness (even within the same stent),
  • optional studs to improve stability,
  • with or without radiopacity (within studs or stent wall).

For more information visit novatech.fr/en/3D or take a look at the brochure.

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