This is the first operation of its kind, and the result is quite impressive. In Spain, a patient had a brand new, 3D printed titanium breastbone implanted.
3D printing continues to unveil its potential in the biomedical sector. Latest creation: a sternum and a portion of the rib cage in titanium, printed using this technology.
Adapt to the patient’s anatomy
Straight out of Australian company Anatomics, Specializing in innovative medical equipment, this prosthesis was successfully implanted in a 54-year-old Spanish patient who presented with a case of sarcoma that was complex to operate.
Its surgeons at the Salamanca University Hospital called on this company to create an innovative implant capable of replacing a large part of the thoracic cage affected by the tumor in the long term. Anatomics has, for that, worked on this project with a laboratory of CSIRO, specialized in 3D printing, and based in Melbourne.
Limit patient waiting time
For this type of surgical case, the advantages of 3D are numerous. First of all, it allows the removed sternum to be replaced by a prosthesis perfectly adapted to the patient’s anatomy, because it models all the complexities of the individual’s thoracic cavity.
“The 3D printing of the sternum makes it possible to reconstitute more precisely the shape of this one in the patient, it is an interesting process which makes it possible to personalize the device, especially since no body is identical” , explains Alex Kingsbury, researcher associated with the project and working for CSIRO. It also makes it possible to produce the sternum to be implanted more quickly, thus limiting the patient’s waiting time before his operation.
Finally, it has the advantage of a more secure fixation at the level of the rib cage to which it adapts perfectly, while traditional implants are fixed by means of screws.
As for the ceramic sternum placed in June at the Limoges University Hospital, it remains to be seen how the patient recovers from the operation, and what the impacts will be on his health in the long term. But one thing is certain, 3D printing still has a bright future ahead.
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