On the NeoMetrix Technologies blog, there have been many stories illustrating how 3D printing, as a technology, is vastly improving the current services and standards across every industry today.
Some of the most inspiring blogs have been those that share how the use of 3D printers, as a whole, has impacted current medical services for the better. Today’s feature is about medical specialists in Holland turning to 3D printing in an attempt to provide an answer for a patient who was in need of a replacement skull.
The female patient from Holland had a condition that caused her skull to continue to grow thicker than what was needed. The symptoms of the condition start off with severe headaches, which is due to the pressure being applied on the brain by the progressive thickening of the skull.
As the symptoms progressed the female’s vision and motoring skills were severely affected, the doctors in Holland knew they were on borrowed time, and pressured to think and act quickly. They needed to find a solution to the patient’s condition that allowed her every chance of survival.
The specialists at the University Medical Center Utrecht were in the operating theater a staggering 23 hours. The surgeons cut away the top half of the patient’s skull and fit it with a 3D printed thermoplastic replacement skull.
Almost three months have passed since the patient was on the operating table. She now has her sight back and is totally symptom free. The fact that she is back at work, and carrying on with her life, shows how incredible and influential 3D printing technology has become in medicine.
Not only has this lady got her life back, but the quality of her life has now vastly improved in comparison to how it was for her in the past.
This success has now opened the door for patients around the world, suffering from the same condition, who may need skull surgery to improve their situation and quality of life.