For one 27-year-old Chinese woman, named Li Jieyang, 3D printing literally saved her left arm. It all started one day last year when Li began suffering from pain in her shoulder. She brushed it off as a simple sprain, even though the swelling and inflamation just continued to worsen.
“I would be combing my hair and all of a sudden my hand would inconveniently cramp up,” Li explained.
“Fortunately, she came here just in time to for treatment,” said Deputy Director of the Hospital, Renzhang Shi. “If she waited another 2 months, she probably would have needed to have had her shoulder amputated.”
The tumor that Li was suffering from was very invasive, and it had eaten away 75% of her scapula bone. Typically surgeries to remove such a tumor and then replace the deteriorated bone are extremely difficult, if not impossible. Many patients in Li’s condition would have previously faced the potential of having their entire shoulder and perhaps even arm removed.
To create the 3D printed titanium shoulder prosthesis, Shiquan Zhang’s team took a CT image of the afflicted area, and then used special computer software to generate an “exact” 3D rendering. They then used a resin-based 3D printer to fabricate a mold of a replacement scapula for Li. This mold was then sent to a larger production facility where a titanium prothesis was made from it.
This is just one more great example of how 3D printing is making a huge impact in medicine. What do you think about this latest accomplishment by Chinese doctors? Discuss in the 3D Printed Shoulder Replacement Forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out some more photos below.