Baby Receives First-Ever Full Skull Reconstruction Via 3D Printing

A 3-year-old girl in China recently became the first person to ever receive full skull reconstruction by way of 3D printing.

The child, who was referred to as “Han Han,” underwent “whole brain shrinking plastic surgery,” in order to improve a condition which caused her head to grow four times the typical size. The operation included complete 3D reconstruction and 3D printing of a titanium skull. Doctors used 3D data and a CT scanner to develop models for three, 3D printed titanium mesh skull implants.

In other 3D printing news, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Colarado Fetal Care Center is using 3D printing to treat unborn babies for a type of spina bifida. Specialists at the facility take MRI imaging data and use it to 3D print a copy of the fetus’ spine, allowing them to better repair the defect prior to birth. Also, children could soon turn their imaginative drawings into real toys thanks to a company that will 3D print the sketches in ABS plastic.

A 3-year-old girl in China will finally be able to lift her head from the pillow after receiving the world’s first full skull reconstruction surgery via 3D printing technology ...

Read more at Medical Daily »