After two months in a coma, Chris Cahill, 35, of New Brunswick, New Jersey woke up confused about where he was and what had happened to him. Cahill was found unconscious from unknown trauma resulting in severe injuries to his frontal lobe, with brain swelling so dramatic it was life threatening, explained to Gaurav Gupta, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Gupta performed emergent surgery on Cahill to relieve the brain swelling with the intent of replacing the skull after the swelling subsided. However, the patient’s own skull was infected and as a result was unusable. At that point, Dr. Gupta decided the best solution to replace the missing skull bone was to use 3-D printing.
3-D printing is making three-dimensional objects from a two-dimensional digital file. It has become popular among medical devices because of its precision and accuracy. For Cahill, 3-D printing was used to create a model of his skull, and also a custom implant to replace the missing piece using his CT scan. “The model was used for practice,” said Dr. Gupta, director, Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “Once the skull implant was printed, millimeter by millimeter, we matched the new implant to the skull model, ensuring a perfect fit.” Two separate implants were printed because the area of the skull was so large, which Dr. Gupta then bonded together. When Cahill learned part of his skull would be replaced via 3-D printing, his first reaction was disbelief. “I wondered, ‘can they really do this?’ But Dr. Gupta saved my life once and I trusted him completely.”
Dr. Gupta then collaborated with a medical device company – DeputSynthese CMS to 3-D print a custom cranial skull implant for Cahill. The implant is made of PEEK (polyetheretherketone), which is chosen for its strength, stability and biocompatibility. Prior to 3-D printing, surgeons used metal mesh to replace pieces of the skull, but it was not as strong or as precise. The 3-D printed model is an exact and custom fit because it is created using the patient’s CT scan. Because Cahill’s skull damage was significant and irregular, 3-D printing was the best choice. According to the company, these 3-D printed implants have a better anatomic fit, reduce operating time and have more satisfying aesthetic results than traditional models. The implants are also impact and fracture resistant.
Before the surgery, the patient needed to grow additional skin to cover the implant. To ensure the best possible aesthetic result, Dr. Gupta enlisted the help of Tushar Patel, MD, plastic and reconstructive surgeon and partner at The Plastic Surgery Center, to insert a tissue expander which enabled Cahill to have enough skin for surgery. March 28, Gupta and Patel inserted the skull implant during a four-hour surgery, shorter than a traditional procedure due to the precise and custom fit of the implant, which allowed for fewer modifications during the process. The surgery went smoothly and Cahill recovered well. Because the incision is behind the hair line, the scars cannot be seen. “I was nervous about what I would look like after the surgery,” said Cahill. “I was happy I looked exactly the same and felt like myself again.”
Learn more: Patient Receives 3-D Printed Skull after Traumatic Brain Injury
The Latest on: 3D printed medical implant
[google_news title=”” keyword=”3D printed medical implant” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]- Big New: FDA Clears 3D Printed Ankle Fusion Implantson May 16, 2024 at 8:55 am
The 3D printed ankle fusion implant comes from one of the pioneering companies in additive manufacturing—4WEB Medical, Inc.—best known for its truss strut design, Wolff’s Law driven implants.
- A Guide to 3D Printing for Healthcare, Today and Tomorrowon May 9, 2024 at 10:02 am
The technology is used by many health systems to create custom implants and models, but how will it be used in medicine as it advances?
- D.C. startup clinches millions for 3D-printed knee implant, but still needs moreon May 8, 2024 at 11:48 am
This D.C. medical device startup has raised a chunk of money to start clinical trials for its 3D-printed knee implant. But it needs a much larger haul to get its product to market.
- 3D Systems Receives FDA Clearance for 3D Printed VSP PEEK Cranial Implantson May 6, 2024 at 9:00 am
D Systems has recently secured FDA clearance for the world's first 3D printed PEEK Cranial Implant, offering improved patient-specific care.
- 3D printed surgical implants may support cures for blindness, chronic pain and neurological diseaseson April 28, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Clever bio-inks that sit inside the human body and restore damaged neurons could cure a whole swathe of diseases in the next 20 years: conditions that have baffled scientists and clinicians for ...
- 3D Printing Medical Devices Market Set to Grow to USD 10.67 Billion by 2031 Owing to Growing Demand for Personalized Medical Solutionson April 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm
3D printing is transforming medical devices by enabling the creation of custom implants and prosthetics. This offers significant advantages for both patients and doctors. Customized implants lead to ...
- 3D Systems obtains 510(k) clearance for 3D-printed cranial implantson April 16, 2024 at 10:41 am
3D Systems has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its VSP PEEK Cranial Implant. The patient-specific implant includes the EXT 220 MED 3D printer and ...
- In a first, FDA approves 3D-printed cranial implants to enter USon April 16, 2024 at 10:41 am
A firm called 3D Systems has devised a patient-specific cranial implant solution called “VSP® PEEK Cranial Implant.” This implant aims to restore defects in the skull via cranioplasty procedures.
- 3D Systems Announces FDA Clearance for World’s First 3D-Printed PEEK Cranial Implantson April 15, 2024 at 1:30 am
FDA clearance enables wide-spread adoption of 3D Systems self-contained, cleanroom environment-based printing system, the EXT 220 MED, with medical-grade PEEK materials to deliver patient-specific ...
via Google News and Bing News