Case Study: University Hospital Basel achieves 33% faster cranio-maxillofacial surgeries and lower costs with Stratasys 3D printing

University Hospital Basel Uses 3D Printing for Advanced Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery

University Hospital Basel, a leading Swiss medical center, faced complex cranio‑maxillofacial and orbital reconstruction cases where limited visibility and non‑custom titanium meshes increased operating time, risk and cost. Outsourcing patient‑specific models helped clinically but was too slow and expensive, so the hospital sought an in‑house 3D printing solution and adopted Stratasys technology (Objet30 Prime printer with biocompatible MED610 material) to produce patient‑specific models and surgical guides.

Using Stratasys 3D printing in its in‑house 3D Print Lab, the hospital now produces accurate models and guides within hours so surgeons can pre‑fit hybrid titanium implants and rehearse procedures. Stratasys‑enabled planning cut surgery time by 33% (reducing typical anesthesia time from over 1.5 hours to about one hour), decreased revision rates and delivered estimated savings of roughly 70 CHF per operating minute (about 2,000 CHF per operation), while improving patient communication and outcomes.

University Hospital Basel

Florian M. Thieringer

University Hospital Basel