World's first 3D printer

Hi-tech: The jaw was made using a precision laser Brussels - Arabstoday In a world first, an elderly patient has had a 3D printer-created lower jaw surgically implanted with complete success. The titanium jaw was built by Belgian company LayerWise in collaboration with scientists from the University of Hasselt, based in the same country. The operation was carried out in the Netherlands last June to treat the woman’s osteomyelitis – bone infection - of almost the entire lower jawbone. However, only now are the details of the ground-breaking procedure emerging. The jaw was made using a high-precision laser, which fused together titanium powder layer by layer, without glue or binder liquid. LayerWise calls the process Additive Manufacturing (AM). It restored the patient’s facial aesthetics and within hours she'd regained her speech and was swallowing normally. An operation of this nature would normally need a hospital stay of between 14 and 28 days, but this patient was home after just four. Professor Jules Poukens of the University of Hasselt said: ‘The new treatment method is a world premiere because it concerns the first patient-specific implant in replacement of the entire lower jaw. ‘The implant integrates multiple functions, including dimples increasing the surface area, cavities promoting muscle attachment, and sleeves to lead mandible nerves. ‘Furthermore, the mandible implant is equipped to directly insert dental bar and/or bridge implant suprastructures at a later stage. I led the team of surgeons who implanted the AM-produced structure during a surgery of less than four hours at the Orbis Medisch Centrum in Sittard-Geleen. 'Shortly after waking up from the anesthetics the patient spoke a few words, and the day after the patient was able to speak and swallow normally again.' Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Mercelis, Managing Director of LayerWise, said: ‘Besides a successful track record in industrial sectors, metal AM is gaining importance in medical implantology. AM’s freedom of shape allows the most complex freeform geometries to be produced as a single part prior to surgery. 'As illustrated by the lower jaw reconstruction, patient-specific implants can potentially be applied on a much wider scale than transplantation of human bone structures and soft tissues. 'The use of such implants yield excellent form and function, speeds up surgery and patient recovery, and reduces the risk for medical complications.’ Dailymail .