3D printed custom vertebra

Of course 3D printing is cool and funky. But that’s actually just a bonus that helps it get more attention and makes it easier to talk about.

One other great thing is that with 3D printing now, one-offs – aka printing just one copy of a particular design – has become affordable. Previously, only a few research and commercial facilities here and there had a 3D printer, and using it was both restricted and expensive.

Example: Surgeons have implanted an artificial, 3D-printed vertebra into a 12 year-old patient to replace the bone he lost to cancer (article @ sciencealert.com.au)

“Minghao had been lying in the orthopaedics ward of the hospital for more than two months. He could barely stand up for more than a few minutes at a time due to the damage caused by a tumour growing in his neck. In the past, patients with this condition would have received a piece of standardised, hollow titanium tube as an implant, but the new technique involving 3D-printing technology offers them a much greater customisation and a speedier, more comfortable recovery.”

Science and smart (cheaper but good quality!) innovation can do a lot of good. We can imagine how this operation will make a world of difference to that 12 year-old. We wish him all the best and a speedy recovery with his new 3D printed vertebra!