Kristopher Sturgis

December 5, 2014

3 Min Read
How 3-D Printing Can Guide Human Face Transplants

3-D printers continue to evolve and shape the landscape of the medtech industry, as researchers look for new ways to apply the transformative technology to create medical devices and materials. Recently, researchers began using computed tomography (CT) in tandem with 3-D printing technology to recreate life-size models of human skulls to assist in face transplantation surgery.

Researchers and physicians at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have been studying the helpfulness of 3-D printed models when it comes to planning for face transplantation procedures, according to a news release from the Radiology Society of North America. The study involved four separate procedures performed on patients who have lost some or all of their face as a result of injury or disease.

In the study, each transplant recipient underwent preoperative CT scans with 3-D visualization. To create each life-sized model, the CT images of the transplant recipient's head were segmented and processed using customized software, creating specialized data files that can be input into a 3-D printer. The 3-D printed model can then help doctors prepare the facial structures, so when the actual transplantation occurs, the surgery can go more smoothly.

One of the leaders of the study, Frank J. Rybicki, MD, said that the complexities of facial transplantation are such, that careful surgical planning ahead of the surgery is crucial to it being a success. He feels that the study proves that if surgeons can use a 3-D model, and hold the skull in their hand prior to beginning the procedure, there is no better way to prepare. Researchers also noted that the skull model can also be used and referenced during the surgery to provide surgeons with an increased understanding of the anatomy of the recipient's face.


3-D Printing Face Transplant

Photo of a 3-D printed skull model, courtesy of Brigham and Women's Hospital

The rapid progression of 3-D printing technology consistently begs the question of what's next for the technology? From taking on injection molding in an effort to revolutionize industry production, to various technological breakthroughs that have sent shockwaves through the medtech industry, the technology continues to flex its muscles of versatility. This is why researchers continue to look toward 3-D printing to solve many of the issues involved with today's current technological limitations.

"You can spin, rotate, and scroll through as many CT images as you want, but there's no substitute for having the real thing in your hand," Rybicki said in the news release. "The ability to work with the model gives you an unprecedented level of reassurance and confidence in the procedure."

Senior surgeons and radiologists involved in the face transplantations that were a part of the study all agreed that the 3-D printed models provided superior pre-operative data, and allowed complex anatomy and bone defects to be better understood, which contributed to a reduced procedure time.

Based on the results of the study, 3-D printing is now going to be routinely used in surgical planning for all face transplantation procedures at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Researchers are even considering the potential benefits of 3-D printed models in other complex surgeries, proving the technology may have other untapped applications to keep an eye out for in the coming years. 

Refresh your medical device industry knowledge at MD&M West, in Anaheim, CA, February 10-12, 2015.

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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About the Author(s)

Kristopher Sturgis

Kristopher Sturgis is a freelance contributor to MD+DI.

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