Case Study: SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital achieves minimally invasive, complication‑free brain tumor removal with Stratasys 3D printing

3D Printing Points the Way to Minimally Invasive Brain Tumor Removal

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, a pediatric referral center in St. Louis, faced the challenge of planning safe, minimally invasive resections for deep‑seated pediatric gliomas that lie within critical brain structures. To improve surgical planning and reduce risk to functional tissue, the team turned to Stratasys and its Stratasys J750 3D printer to create patient‑specific, soft-tissue models from imaging data.

Using the Stratasys J750, the hospital produced multimaterial, color-coded brain models (including VeroClear and Tango materials) that let surgeons physically probe sulci, map the safest transsulcal route, and visualize vessels and tumor relationships. The Stratasys‑enabled models led to a complication‑free operation, shortened operating room time, allowed resection through only a few millimeters of brain tissue, increased surgeon and family confidence, and avoided more invasive dissection.

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital

Philippe Mercier

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital