The usefulness of 3-dimensional (3D)-printed disease models has been recognised in various medical fields. This study aims to introduce a production platform for patient-specific 3D-printed brain tumor model in clinical practice and evaluate its effectiveness.

A full-cycle platform was created for the clinical application of a 3D-printed brain tumor model (3D-printed model) production system. Essential elements included automated segmentation software, cloud-based interactive communication tools, customised brain models with exquisite expression of brain anatomy in transparent material, adjunctive devices for surgical simulation, and swift process cycles to meet practical needs. A simulated clinical usefulness validation was conducted in which neurosurgeons assessed the usefulness of the 3D-printed models in 10 cases.  The results revealed the significant superiority of the 3D-printed models in surgical planning regarding surgical posture (p = 0.0147) and craniotomy design (p = 0.0072) compared to conventional magnetic resonance images.

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