A life-saving surgery has made use of a 3D printed titanium implant to reconstruct a cancer patient’s entire chest bone and ribs.
Carried out byManipal医院in India, the complex surgery managed to remove the cancer from the patient and reconstruct his sternum and ribs, meaning he would not be dependent on medical ventilation for the rest of his life.
“Advanced technology can be used nowadays to offer treatment in complicated cancer cases, which otherwise is thought to be incurable by many,” said Dr. Somashekhar, Chairman and HOD – Surgical Oncology at Manipal Hospitals.
“The credit for this case goes to excellent coordination between Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Centre and Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery which boasts modern technology coupled with experts in the field of medicine which offer hope to millions of cancer patients across the globe.”
特别复杂的手术
The 50-year-old patient from Bangladesh was suffering from a rare and complex form of cancer that affected his sternum and the first eight ribs on both his left and right side. Even if the cancer could be removed through surgery, there was no feasible solution to fix his sternum and ribs, which would be essential for breathing normally.
该患者接近Manipal医院，他的MRI显示肿瘤质量为15×12.7厘米，坐在他的肺和心脏上，破坏了患者胸骨的长度和胸腔内。在手术之前，外科医生对受影响区域进行了CT扫描，以创建一个个性化的3D型号的所需植入物，然后在钛中打印3D。
“整个胸部骨头和costerthern结都用钛粉和液体钛打印，并形成了新的钛胸骨，根据该患者的大小，身高，体重和要去除的骨架的一部分为该患者定制。，” Someshekhar解释说。“与公司技术人员，工程师和Manipal Onco手术和整形手术团队举行了多次会议。”
The patient underwent the tumor removal surgery, which saw his entire sternum and ribs removed without much blood loss. This area was then replaced with the customized titanium implant which was fixed in place leveraging a new drilling technique and titanium wire. The implant was then overlaid with muscle flaps taken from the front of the patient’s chest before closing the skin, to restore normal breathing function.
Someshekhar继续说：“这种植入物通常很重，最多五公斤。”“在这种情况下，这太重了，让患者无法在胸部携带这种体重。为了纠正这一点，使用改良的蜂窝技术使胸骨和胸骨的重量低于250克。”
完全康复
手术完成后，患者将平稳康复，并在胸部物理疗法后逐渐动员。据报道，他从医院出院期间正在喂食，呼吸和行走，没有任何并发症。
According to Dr Ashok, Consultant – Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery at Manipal Hospitals, the 3D printed implant provided many vital benefits to the patient’s recovery.
他说：“这种植入物强壮，耐用，同时重量轻。”“此外，它们受到身体的良好认可，并且不容易发生免疫反应和植入物排斥。这种植入物降低了由于植入物和周围骨组织之间不均匀的应力转移而可能出现的植入物周围骨质疏松症的风险。”
3D打印的钛植入物的成功植入意味着，一旦去除肿瘤和受影响的骨骼部件，患者就不会永久取决于机械通气以呼吸。
“New age technology and materials are helping patients with complex problems to be solved and recover fast,” Ashok added.
“This patient is a perfect example with the combination of excellent medical care and technology coming together.”
现实世界中的3D印刷治疗
Additive manufacturing is increasingly finding new real-world applications in healthcare, for instance in the form of解剖模型以帮助外科医生在复杂的操作中。
Aside from 3D printed models, the technology has also been deployed in the form of abiocompatible splint within corrective nasal surgery, as髋部手术中使用的植入物，作为一个customizable mandibular platefor use in facial reconstruction surgery.
Additionally, in November last year a London man成为世界上的第一个要配备3D打印的假肢眼睛，有可能为大幅度降低原面条等待列表铺平道路。
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Featured image showsentire sternum ribs reconstruction using a 3D printed custom-made titanium implant. Image via Manipal Hospitals.
