A medical research team in the Netherlands publicized information last week about a novel surgical procedure it performed in June 2011.
An 83-year old woman needed a new jaw, but her age made a traditional replacement too risky. Therefore, doctors replaced her jaw with a titanium copy, which was produced by a 3-D printer.
Medical researchers then worked with the implant company Xilloc to create a 3-D printed replica.
To produce the implant, titanium powder was fused by a high-powered laser, one layer at a time, in a process called laser melting. The implant was coated in a bone-substitute compound and surgically attached to her skull.
"The implant is a complex part - involving articulated joints, cavities to promote muscle attachment and grooves to direct the regrowth of nerves and veins," according to an online BBC article.
Researchers said designing the replica was the most time intensive part of the process, whereas the printing only took a few hours. The surgical procedure itself took four hours - a fifth of the time normally needed for reconstructive jaw surgery.
The patient regained the ability to speak and swallow within 24 hours and quickly recovered full use of her jaw.
Medical technicians said this procedure opens up possibilities for many other 3-D-printed, patient-specific parts.
-compiled by George Knaysi
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