Dog Gets 3D-Printed Skull After Tumor Removal, Revolutionizing Surgery
Patches the dachshund is an exceptional dog, and now she’s the happy owner of a 3D-printed custom titanium implant. Unfortunately, she had a large brain tumor that grew into the skull, pushing the brain and eye. Thanks to Michelle Oblak of the Ontario Veterinary College, the pooch got a second chance at life. Moreover, this surgical intervention also means a huge step in surgery for humans.
Oblak had to remove the skull growth and replace it with an implant. But before that, they had to plan the intervention. In a video posted by the University of Guelph, Oblak explained the procedure.
The pooch is the first animal in North America to get a 3D-printed custom titanium plate. The surgery was performed in New York, at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca.
Considerably Reducing Surgery Time
Oblak teamed up with a team from the University of Guelph in Ontario – called Rappid, which is for rapid prototyping of patient-specific implants for dogs. Together, they mapped the tumor, created a 3D model of the dog’s head, and practiced the surgery on the model.
The same data allowed the team to create the 3D-printed titanium plate. This approach allowed the surgery to take a lot less time, as the matching implant was already created and ready to replace 70% of the removed bone. Half an hour after the surgery, Patches was awake. The team wouldn’t disclose the expenses of the procedure.
Oblak concluded that:
“By performing these procedures in our animal patients, we can provide valuable information that can be used to show the value and safety of these implants for humans.”
So far, scientists have developed many ground-breaking implants using 3D printing technology. In 2013, a person received a titanium skull implant, and one year later, a Dutch woman received a 3D-printed plastic cranium.
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.
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