Doctors in South Korea have just successfully implanted a 3D printed pelvis into a teenager suffering from bone cancer.
3D scanners and 3D printers have revolutionized the world of medicine. Many hospitals, laboratories, and other medical facilities have embraced the power of three-dimensional scanning and printing for therapy and for research.
This breakthrough surgery highlights how versatile the 3D printer scanner has become, especially in the medical industry. The surgery also suggests the technology will become increasingly integral in patient care and in research. The procedure also underscores the importance of using this technology to create a custom-made patient-specific body part.
The Pelvis Implant
The patient, Ms. Kim, was suffering from back pain whenever she walked. The symptoms developed suddenly during an exercise session in July 2014 but the young woman put off seeing her doctor, so her condition went undiagnosed for months. She finally sought help in November of 2014, when she learned that she had malignant tumors within her pelvis bones. By the time of her diagnosis, her bone cancer had progressed to the point that it caused damage and pain so severe and intense that she could not walk. Her condition worsened in 2015 to the point where she was unable to attend school.
Traditional treatments successfully shrunk the tumors but the cancer had caused significant damage to the structure of her pelvis. Her doctors decided that a full pelvis replacement would be necessary. Conventional pelvis replacements require severing all the nerves that run from the spine to the pelvis. The team taking care of Ms. Kim cut off only three vital nerves and removed only one side of her pelvis.
The medial team then scanned that section for 3D printing. This process also helped the surgeons optimize the removal location to be sure the implant would support the young woman’s weight.
The South Korean doctors performed the surgery in late March 2015. The procedure took only six hours, significantly shorter than the usual nine hours associated with conventional pelvic replacement. Using the 3D printed pelvis allowed for a much quicker recover period. Within just days of her implant surgery, Ms. Kim was able to get up and take her first steps.
Other 3D Printed Pelvises
This was not the first 3D printed pelvis implant. Dr. Craig Gerrand printed and used one in 2014 to help a 60-year-old patient suffering from a rare type of bone cancer. In that case, chemotherapy and radiation did not shrink the tumors, so the patient ended up losing half his pelvis. Normally, doctors would make an implant by hand but this particular patient had lost too much of his pelvis to restore with conventional means.
Dr. Gerrand scanned the man’s pelvis and sent the scans to a company that printed a new half pelvis from titanium powder. There was a small risk that the implant would fit poorly or fracture but, fortunately, these did not happen.
The advantages of 3D printed prosthesis are its flexibility and the ability to customize and personalize the body part. Time is of the essence during bone tumor removal and implantation procedures that often require eight or more hours of operation time. Using 3D printed implants, surgeons can create a perfect body part that is easy to replace, which reduces operation time significantly. Rapid prototyping is another advantage, in that it improves collaboration between engineers and physicians in the development of new implants and designs.
The medial team then scanned that section for 3D printing. This process also helped the surgeons optimize the removal location to be sure the implant would support the young woman’s weight.
The South Korean doctors performed the surgery in late March 2015. The procedure took only six hours, significantly shorter than the usual nine hours associated with conventional pelvic replacement. Using the 3D printed pelvis allowed for a much quicker recover period. Within just days of her implant surgery, Ms. Kim was able to get up and take her first steps.
Other 3D Printed Pelvises
This was not the first 3D printed pelvis implant. Dr. Craig Gerrand printed and used one in 2014 to help a 60-year-old patient suffering from a rare type of bone cancer. In that case, chemotherapy and radiation did not shrink the tumors, so the patient ended up losing half his pelvis. Normally, doctors would make an implant by hand but this particular patient had lost too much of his pelvis to restore with conventional means.
Dr. Gerrand scanned the man’s pelvis and sent the scans to a company that printed a new half pelvis from titanium powder. There was a small risk that the implant would fit poorly or fracture but, fortunately, these did not happen.
The advantages of 3D printed prosthesis are its flexibility and the ability to customize and personalize the body part. Time is of the essence during bone tumor removal and implantation procedures that often require eight or more hours of operation time. Using 3D printed implants, surgeons can create a perfect body part that is easy to replace, which reduces operation time significantly. Rapid prototyping is another advantage, in that it improves collaboration between engineers and physicians in the development of new implants and designs.
3D scanning services and 3D printing are already revolutionizing orthopedic surgeries; tools like the SolidWorks 3D scanner can create either a surface or a mesh to specifications, depending on patient needs. Clinicians can then import the mesh and convert it to a solid 3D part, ready for implantation.
Medical researchers have now used 3D printing in a variety of revolutionary orthopedic applications. Doctors were able to use 3D printing technology to replace an essential bone in the spine of a boy from China, for example. In October 2014, a five-year-old became the first child in the United Kingdom to receive a prosthetic hand made with 3D technology. A woman received a 3D printed jaw in the Netherlands and a man in Wales, who had suffered serious facial damage in a motorcycle accident, underwent facial reconstruction using 3D printed parts. These cases highlight the benefits of this new printing technology is oncology and other branches of medicine.
The greatest benefit is the ability to produce customized medical products and equipment. These implants can have a positive effect in terms of time required for surgery, recovery time, and success of the implant. These 3D printed implants can increase cost efficiency, with the first item costing as much to produce as the last, which is not the case in conventional medical device manufacturing. This is especially beneficial for companies with low production volumes or that produce parts that are highly complex or require frequent modification.
3D printing also enhances productivity in medical procedures because the technology is so much faster than conventional approaches. Resolution, accuracy, reliability and repeatability are improving quickly. 3D scanning and printing improves collaboration between clinician and engineer. Patients also benefit, in that they receive a prosthesis that replicates the size, shape and structure of their original bones.
The pelvis replacement performed by the South Korean doctors highlights the advantages 3D scanning and printing can have for patients suffering from bone cancer and other maladies. Doctors all over the world are already implanting printed hips, knees, shoulders and other parts to help patients overcome pain and disability. From artificial bone and joint replacements to prosthetic body parts and life-saving pacemakers, these three-dimensional printed medical implants restore quality of life to those affected by injury or illness. Researchers from around the globe are working on developing new implants using 3-D printing to improve the range and quality of implants that are available.
3D scanning and printing will likely continue their expansion into medicine, as doctors and surgeons begin to embrace the versatility of this technology.
Source
http://3dprinting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/d2.jpeg
http://english.cntv.cn/2014/08/18/VIDE1408306798015287.shtml
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-29441115
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-16907104
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-26534408