Melbourne, Australia's Lab 22 produced a 3D printed, custom set of ribs and artificial sternum that were implanted into a 54-year-old male Spanish cancer patient's chest-cavity at Salamanca University Hospital.

The custom ribs were a huge advancement on the typical titanium-plate assembly, more stable and less likely to detach or deform.



This isn't the first time surgeons have turned the human body into a titanium masterpiece. Thoracic surgeons typically use flat and plate implants for the chest. However, these can come loose over time and increase the risk of complications. The patient's surgical team at the Salamanca University Hospital thought a fully customised 3D printed implant could replicate the intricate structures of the sternum and ribs, providing a safer option for the patient. Using high resolution CT data, the Anatomics team was able to create a 3D reconstruction of the chest wall and tumour, allowing the surgeons to plan and accurately define resection margins. We were then called on to print the sternum and rib cage at Lab 22. As you could imagine, the 3D printer at Officeworks wasn't quite up to this challenge. Instead, we relied on our $1.3 million Arcam printer to build up the implant layer-by-layer with its electron beam, resulting in a brand new implant which was promptly couriered to Spain.

Cancer patient receives 3D printed ribs in world-first surgery

[Adam Knight/CSIRO]





(via Medgadget)