A woman from the Netherlands has had her entire skull replaced with a plastic part created using a 3D printer.

The 22-year-old suffered from a thickening of the skull, leading to loss of her eyesight and the onset of motor coordination impairment. Without the surgery, eventually she would have died.

In a world first, Dr Bon Verweij from the University Media Centre (UMC) performed the mammoth 23-hour operation to replace her skull with a 3D-printed implant.

Traditionally skull implants are made by hand using a type of cement, but using a 3D printer enables each component to be printed to the individual’s exact requirements.

“This has major advantages, not only cosmetically but also because patients often have better brain function compared with the old method,” said Dr Verweij.

The revolutionary skull was made with the help of Anatomics, an Australian company that provides custom-made implants for medical use.

Three months after the operation, the patient’s life has been transformed.

"She has fully regained her vision, she has no more complaints, she's gone back to work and there are almost no traces that she had any surgery at all,” Dr Verweij revealed.