3D printing has been lauded as the way of the future, with the potential to do everything from printing food for poverty-stricken communities, creating prototypes for aerospace technology, and now, re-building a man's skull.
Stephen Power, 29, has undergone groundbreaking surgery to reconstruct his face and skull after a traumatic motorcycle accident. Each step of the reconstruction procedure was aided by 3D printing, with the Welshman labeling the operation as 'totally life-changing.'
The accident, in 2012, saw Power spend four months in hospital after breaking his nose, upper jaw, and both cheekbones, as well as experiencing fractures to the skull. In order to build an adequate skull replacement, doctors at the Morriston Hospital in Swansea broke Mr. Power's cheekbones again in order to rectify injuries several months after the accident. With detailed CT scans used to ascertain the original shape of Power's skull, surgeons were then able to design a 3D model of the face - as well as cutting guides, plates, and titanium implants to hold the bones together.
One of Power's surgical team, maxillofacial surgeon Adrian Sugar, was effusive about the precision of the technology. "I think it's incomparable - the results are in a different league from anything we've done before," said Dr. Sugar. "What this does is it allows us to be much more precise. Everybody now is starting to think in this way - guesswork is not good enough."
The procedure took eight hours, with Power noting that he was able to see the results immediately and felt renewed confidence in his appearance, after months of donning hats and glasses when in public. "I'm hoping I won't have to disguise myself - I won't have to hide away. I'll be able to do day-to-day things, go and see people, walk in the street, even go to any public areas," he said.
The surgery is one of the first that utilizes the capabilities of 3D printing for trauma-based injuries. While 3D printing has previously been used in cases of congenital defects, repairing injuries is still new terrain for the technology.
The surgery is now a key feature of 3D Printing: The Future, an exhibition at London's Science Museum.
