Description
Clinical History
A 56-year-old woman with 6 months of intermittent headache and vomiting was admitted to hospital comatose after a grand mal seizure, and failed to regain consciousness.
Pathology
The specimen is a coronal section of a brain. It is evident that the brain has been compressed laterally and downwards by a right-sided expanding intracranial mass, probably a meningioma. The original mass is not present. The anterior face shows shift of midline structures with subfalcine herniation* of the cingulate gyrus. The posterior face (see photo) shows hemorrhage of varying ages within the temporal lobe and the pons, typical of supratentorial mass lesions. There is also ventricular asymmetry.
In subfalcine (or cingulate) herniation, the most common type of brain herniation, the innermost part of the frontal lobe is pushed under part of the falx cerebri, between the two hemispheres of the brain.
Further Information
Symptoms of a space occupying meningioma in the cranial cavity can be caused by the tumor mass pressing on the brain, which can lead to atrophy and displacement of brain parenchyma, leading to symptoms arising from interruptions to cranial nerve functions, blood flow and normal cerebral functions. General symptoms may include:
Muscle seizures: e.g. Myoclonic (single or multiple muscle twitches, jerks, and/or spasms) or Tonic-clonic (grand mal: loss of consciousness and body tone, followed by twitching and relaxing muscle contractions, loss of control of body functions, short period of no breathing and the person may turn a shade of blue, a person may be sleepy and experience a headache, confusion, weakness, numbness, and sore muscles)
Sensory changes, alterations in vision, smell, and/or hearing without losing consciousness.
Symptoms and signs may vary with the location of the tumor.
Advantages
- Anatomically accurate and identical to real specimen
- No ethical issues - not real human body parts
- Reasonably priced
- Available within a short lead time
- Reproducible, several identical prints can be used as a classroom set
- Can be produced in different sizes to cater for the needs of the teacher
Human Cadavers
- Access to cadavers can be problematic. Many countries cannot access cadavers for cultural and religious reasons
- Cadavers cost a lot money
- High cost for establishing your own plastination suite
- Wet specimens cannot be used in uncertified labs
- Dissection of cadavers is a lot of staff time and that is a cost
- Storage of cadaver material needs special refrigeration etc. which has coast
- If you want another specimen you have to start all over again
Plastinates
- Costs
- Ethical issues
- Timeframe for plastination process
- Many countries do not allow their importation
- One of a kind
Superior 3D print results compared with conventional methods
- Vibrant color offering with 10 million colors
- UV-curable inkjet printing
- High quality 3D printing that can create products that are delicate, extremely precise and incredibly realistic
Clear Support Material
- To avoid breakage of fragile, thin, and delicate arteries, veins or vessels, a clear support material is printed on such spots. This makes the models robust and can be handled by students easily.
