{"id":"4ef5ed9b-fe1b-4a5a-8fda-ca59d17ffa2b","slug":"sni-17-473","title":"Use of three-dimensional-printed models for preoperative planning in endoscopic endonasal surgery for tuberculum sellae meningioma: A case report and literature review","authors":["Elizabeth Escamilla-Chávez","José Carlos Hernández González","Mabel Yhoalibeth Pérez De Anda","Arturo Valdivia-Hernández","Ricardo Adrián Cortés-Monterrubio","Daniel Alejandro Vega-Moreno","Hector Sebastián Velasco-Torres"],"abstract":"Background: Tuberculum sellae meningiomas (TSMs) are surgically demanding because of their proximity to the optic apparatus, anterior communicating artery complex, and supraclinoid carotid arteries. The expanded endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) is a viable alternative to transcranial surgery for selected midline lesions, but safe navigation of these neurovascular relationships requires detailed preoperative planning. Patient-specific three-dimensional (3D) printing is an established tool for anatomical simulation and rehearsal before skull base surgery (SBS). Case description: A 52-year-old female presented with 5 months of progressive headache, bitemporal hemianopsia, hyperprolactinemia, and central hypothyroidism caused by a 3.3 cm TSM with suprasellar extension. Digital imaging and communications in medicine data from contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography were used to build virtual and physical 1:1 scale reconstructions: Stereolithography resin for the osseous structures, flexible filament for the vasculature and tumor. The model supported trajectory planning and surgical simulation and confirmed no limitations to the EEA. A four-hand, neuronavigation-assisted transtuberculum–transplanum EEA achieved gross total resection with preservation of the optic apparatus and all vascular perforators. The patient had no cerebrospinal fluid leak or neurological deficits. Six-month follow-up MRI showed no residual disease. Conclusion: Patient-specific 3D printing may represent a useful adjunct for preoperative planning and surgical simulation in selected TSM; however, further prospective studies are needed to define its cost-effectiveness and clinical impact, and its role in the acquisition and validation of the surgical learning curve in advanced SBS.","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/sni-17-473/figures/SNI-17-473-g001.jpg","publishDate":"2026-08-21T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.25259/SNI_563_2026","categories":["Skull Base","Case Report"],"fullTextUrl":"https://surgicalneurologyint.com/api/articles/4ef5ed9b-fe1b-4a5a-8fda-ca59d17ffa2b/pdf"}