First 3D Printed Skull Implanted

[Turk.]

26 March 2014

The plastic skull was made with the help of a 3D printer: Photo: UMC Utrecht
A Dutch university hospital has successfully given a 22-year-old woman a plastic skull, made with the help of a 3D printer.
Utrecht University's UMC says the operation is a world first.

The woman needed the operation because her skull was becoming thicker, compressing her brain and damaging its function. Her cranium had become 5cm thick, while a normal skull is up to around 1.5cm.

Plastic

Her medical team, led by neurologist Ben Verweij, decided to replace her cranium with a plastic one, produced by a specialist Australian firm. The operation took 23 hours but was a complete success, the hospital says.

?Implants used to be made by hand in the operating theatre using a sort of cement which was far from ideal,? Verweij said. ?Using 3D printing we can make one to the exact size. This not only has great cosmetic advantages, but patients? brain function often recovers better than using the old method.?

The procedure took place three months ago but the woman has now gone back to work and is symptom free, Verweij said.

Source

[DocM]

Yup. 3D printing, AKA additive manufacturing, is going to flat out revolutionize the world. No, that's not an exaggeration. More impact than the assembly line.

[Beittil]

Man, that is frigging amazing! In the past you would have eventually just died from a condition like this... but now... "one 3D printed replacement coming right up, just hold a moment please!"

[FiB3R]

Calling it a skull implant is a bit of a stretch, there have already been other 3D printed parts of skulls that have been implanted, for facial reconstruction etc.

Not to take anything away from 3D printing, of course. As DocM eluded too, it really is a game changer.

It's just that the title had me expecting to have my mind blown.