Chinese doctors rely on 3D printing to successfully complete complex wrist surgery

Source: www.3ders.org

Medical applications of 3D printing technology have been widely successful in recent months. While most bioprinting innovations will still take a few years to be implemented, other applications have already been used with great success. 3D printed implants have already been used to save lives in academic hospitals throughout the world, while many rare and complex surgeries have been successfully concluded with the help of 3D printed trial replicas. We’ve just learned of another successful case from China that fits in that latter category – something we could all benefit from.

We’ve all done it: walking around while idly playing with our smartphones or not taking the time to stop and type a message. We all know it’s dangerous, but we’re all so busy all the time. Well, if you’re in need of proof of its dangers, here it is: 21-year-old student Wang was doing exactly that, causing him to fall on his wrist, severely injuring it. A CT scan in the Wuhan Puren Hospital in the Hubei province revealed a rare injury: Wang had broken his right hamate bone as well as his fourth metacarpel.

These fractures gave doctors quite a problem. Found exactly on top of each other (connecting your ring finger to your palm), orthopedic surgeon Liu Rong was unable to get an accurate image of both bones. This made surgery nearly impossible, as the risk of complication with bones so close to each other was just too high. Normally, this would mean having to live with the pain for the rest of his life, with even a chance of losing functionality all together. Fortunately, there was a solution: 3D printing.

Liu Rong and his team developed a 3D printed replica of the student’s wrist, complete with fractures. The highly detailed wrist was completely 3D printed in just five hours. This replica enabled doctors to practice the surgery on the model, revealing all dangers, improving surgical accuracy and optimizing the chance of success. It also significantly shortened the time necessary for the operation. In the end, Liu Rong and his team successfully completed the operation, and Wang has since regained full use of his hand. All thanks to 3D printing.