Surgeons in Wales have used parts created on a 3-D printer to rebuild the face of a man seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. Using a series of printed models, guides, plates and implants, the surgical team was able to create a symmetrical 3-D model of the his face and skull.
3-D printed parts have been used at every stage of reconstructive surgery. Although he was wearing a crash helmet at the time of the accident, the patient, named Stephen Power, broke both cheekbones, his top jaw and his nose and he fractured his skull. The operation took eight hours and the surgeons needed to rebreak his cheekbones to rebuild his face. A medical-grade titanium implant was used to hold the bones in their new shape.
The surgeons said the 3-D printer allowed them to be much more precise in doing the reconstruction.
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Sourced from: BBC, Pioneering 3D printing reshapes patient’s face in Wales