Patient-specific, image-based design coupled with 3D biomaterial printing produced personalized implants for treatment of collapsed airways in patients with tracheobronchomalacia.

Tracheobronchomalacia and excessive dynamic airway collapse are underdiagnosed distinct clinical entities that require attention with noninvasive imaging to enable prompt diagnosis and guide proper... Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) and excessive dynamic airway collapse (EDAC) are airway abnormalities that share a common feature of expiratory narrowing but are distinct pathophysiologic entities. Bot...

Congenital airway obstruction poses a life-threatening challenge to the newborn. We present the first case of three-dimensional (3D) modeling and 3D printing of complex fetal maxillofacial anatomy after prenatal ultrasound indicated potential upper airway obstruction from a midline mass of the maxilla. Using fetal MRI and patient-specific computer-aided modeling, the craniofacial anatomy of the fetus was manufactured using a 3D printer. This model demonstrated the mass to be isolated to the upper lip and maxilla, suggesting the oral airway to be patent. The decision was made to deliver the infant without a planned ex utero intrapartum treatment procedure. The neonate was born with a protuberant cleft lip and palate deformity, without airway obstruction, as predicted by the patient-specific model. The delivery was uneventful, and the child was discharged without need for airway intervention. This case demonstrates that 3D modeling may improve prenatal evaluation of complex patient-specific fetal anatomy and facilitate the multidisciplinary approach to perinatal management of complex airway anomalies.