Pelvic bone reconstruction with titanium thanks to 3D printing technology

According to a VNA reporter in London, an orthopedic surgeon in the UK has successfully used the most advanced 3D printing technology to create a new pelvis for a male patient who had to have half of his pelvis removed due to cancer.

3D printing technology can accurately simulate human body parts (Source: DM)

3D printing technology allows the reproduction of almost any three-dimensional shape from computer data and is considered to have great potential for use in the medical field.

Dr Craig Gerrand at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the largest health service centres in the UK's National Health System (NHS), used the technology to reconstruct the amputated pelvis of a cancer patient in his 60s.

According to Dr. Gerrand, the patient had a rare form of bone cancer called chondrosarcoma. Because this type of cancer does not respond to drugs or radiation, the only way to save the patient is to remove half of the pelvis to prevent metastasis.

CT scans allowed Dr Gerrand and his colleagues to measure exactly how much bone had been removed. The new pelvic bone to replace the removed bone was then 3D printed using successive layers of titanium powder bonded together using a laser.

Finally, this titanium pelvic bone is paired with the patient's remaining pelvis and coated with a mineral to allow bone growth.

This is the first hip replacement surgery performed in the UK using 3D printing technology. The surgery was so successful that the patient can now walk with a stick./

According to Vietnamplus