Case Study: University of Antwerp achieves increased lung capacity and eliminates wheezing with Materialise's Mimics Innovation Suite

Young Girl Can Breathe Easy Thanks to the Mimics Innovation Suite

Researchers from the University of Antwerp confronted a complex pulmonary case: a 16-year-old girl with kyphoscoliosis whose spine deformation and prior corset use had reduced her total lung capacity to 57% and produced a persistent wheeze. To develop a patient-specific treatment plan, the team used Materialise’s Mimics Innovation Suite for advanced functional respiratory imaging and flow analysis.

Using Materialise’s Mimics, the team imported CT data to create accurate 3D models, ran computational fluid dynamics, and designed a personalized airway stent with surgical simulation to determine optimal sizing and placement. After stent placement the wheeze disappeared immediately and total lung capacity rose from 57% to 68% at seven months, with predicted further improvement toward normal — demonstrating Materialise’s role in enabling a measurable, patient-specific treatment outcome.

University of Antwerp

Vos et al

University of Antwerp