The first printing organ
In Belgium, for the first time, an implant was created using a 3D printer
ABC Magazine based on the materials of New Scientist:
3D printer provides woman with a brand new jawScientists from Belgium have created a mandible implant, exactly suitable for the face of an elderly patient, using a 3D printer.
This unique operation was performed by Dutch doctors back in June last year, but information about it has only been published now. Before this case, doctors had not yet resorted to using the capabilities of three-dimensional printing.
The implant is made of titanium powder, which, under the action of a 3D printer laser, hardens layer by layer, creating a three-dimensional model. The technology was developed by scientists from the Biomedical Research Institute at the Hasselt University in Belgium and implemented by LayerWise, a specialized manufacturer of metal parts. The implant is complex in its structure – it has platforms for attaching temporomandibular joints, depressions for adjacent facial muscles and openings for the growth of blood vessels and nerves.
Its weight was 107 grams, which is almost a third more than the weight of the lower jaw bone. It took only 2 hours to "print" the implant – 33 layers with a thickness of 1 mm each were created. The finished prosthesis was covered with bioceramics.
The new lower jaw was intended for an 83-year-old woman suffering from a chronic bone infection that destroyed her lower jaw. Standard reconstructive surgery carried a great risk due to the patient's advanced age, so doctors turned to modern 3D printing technologies. According to surgeons, the implantation operation took only 4 hours, which is 5 times less than the time it would take for a conventional reconstructive operation.
After the operation, the patient was able to say a few words, and a couple of days later she drank water on her own. On the fifth day after the operation, the woman was discharged home. In a month, she will have a repeat operation to remove the fixing pins and implant two rows of artificial teeth.
Scientists hope that 3D printing of implants will become commonplace in the coming years. One of the main advantages of this technique is the creation of models that are exactly suitable for each patient and take into account his anatomical and physiological characteristics. Another important advantage is the reduction of the period of hospitalization.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru09.02.2012