Patient has 75 per cent of his skull replaced by 3DD-printed implant

By techbeck
in Real World News

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Grand Master

techbeck

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073188-skull_large_verge_medium_landscape.jpg

A 3D-printed implant was used to replace 75 percent of a man's skull in a surgical procedure earlier this week. The prosthetic was constructed using an additive printing process, and was implanted following manufacturer Oxford Performance Materials receiving FDA approval to use the technology last month. News.com.au reports that the company can create similar implants in two weeks after receiving 3D scans of a patient's injured area. It believes that 500 people in the US each month could take advantage of the new process.

The implant is made of polyetherketoneketone, a biocompatible polymer that won't interfere with X-rays. Small details are etched along the surface of the prosthetic to promote the growth of bone and cells. This is the first additively manufactured polymer implant to receive approval by the FDA. Reports on the new surgery are unclear on whether it was 75 percent of the skull's surface area or the skull's mass that was replaced, however we believe that it's likely to be the latter. Because the implant doesn't have to be tooled and can be created directly from a digital file, the company reports that there are few limits on what it can make.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/8/4078692/3d-printed-implant-replaces-skull

Grand Master

DocM

Posted
Posted

This really belongs in the Science forum, but....

3D printing is making great strides in medicine; making custom forms for custom-fit joint replacements, printed titanium jaws, all manner of bits. Down the road expect to see printed collagen frameworks for organs, into which stem cell cultures will be placed & grown to produce parts for transplant.

Grand Master

+hedleigh Subscriber²

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you'd be surprised, 3D printing isn't as expensive as you'd think it'd be

Especially with a decent healthcare system or insurance. I'd imagine over here the people that need that sort of treatment would be looked after.

(I could be wrong though, the way this government is cutting funding all over the place)

Experienced

blerk

Posted
Posted

you'd be surprised, 3D printing isn't as expensive as you'd think it'd be

While the implant I imagine is rather cheap, I imagine the surgery is still horrifically expensive.

I think this sort of 3D printed material would initially cost $5-8K as manufacturers try to recoup some R&D spending and approvals costs. However I can easily envision this sort of product being under $1K. The materials I imagine probably are not particularly exotic and the process costs of design + printing wouldn't be particularly onerous.

Grand Master

Brandon H Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted

While the implant I imagine is rather cheap, I imagine the surgery is still horrifically expensive.

well yeah, but that's with pretty much any surgery

there's not really such a thing as a cheap surgery

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