This is an astonishing piece of work and demonstrates how far 3D printing has gone already.
Much more important for all medical applications is that all design can be now readily computerized and standardized in the process. This makes it available to anyone.
To date we are still getting over the novelty effect but soon enough this is going to be the go to standard of care. And volume will soon bring costs down dramatically.
I also can see deliberate skull replacement been attempted in order to provide more volume in particular.
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Patient receives 3D-printed titanium sternum and rib cage
September 10, 2015
http://www.gizmag.com/3d-printed-sternum-and-rib-cage-csiro/39369/
Following a 3D-printed heel bone, a
3D-printed mouth guard for sleep apnea sufferers and the world's first
3D-printed jet engine, Lab 22 at Australia's CSIRO has added to the growing list of
3D-printed medical implants by designing and printing a replacement titanium
sternum and rib cage for a 54-year-old cancer patient.
The sternum and rib cage features a complex
geometry that means the flat and plate implants traditionally used for
this
part of the chest can come loose over time. For this reason, the
surgical team at the Salamanca University
Hospital in Spain thought a custom 3D-printed implant would be a better
option
for a Spanish man suffering from a chest wall sarcoma – a condition that
had resulted in a cancerous tumor growing around his rib cage,
requiring certain
sections to be removed.
By using high resolution CT scans, Melbourne-based
medical device company Anatomics, working with the patient's surgical team, was
able to design an implant specifically customized to fit perfectly in the
patient's chest. With the design in hand, the company turned to Lab 22, who
printed the implant layer-by-layer using its AUD$1.3 million (US$920,000) Arcam
electron beam metal 3D printer.
Once complete, the 3D-printed sternum and
partial rib cage was couriered to Spain and implanted into the patient's chest.
The implant was designed with pieces that went over the remaining bone and
allowed them to be attached securely with screws.
The surgery was a success and the patient
was discharged from hospital 12 days later.
The video below below describes the process
used to create the implant.
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