How 3-D Printing Is Helping Doctors Do Their JobsHow 3-D Printing Is Helping Doctors Do Their Jobs

The world of 3-D printing is no longer a fantasy.

Scores of companies have gathered at the MD&M East Conference and Exposition in Philadelphia to display their capabilities of 3-D printing and applications in the medical world. Mainly, they can speed up R&D and prototyping.

But one company—Stratasys, which makes a range of 3-D printers—has found other applications as well.

Holding up a 3-D-printed half skull, Adam Stegeman, senior applications engineer at the Minnesota firm, said that doctors are using customized 3-D-printed materials as communication aids.

"When doctors talk to each other, they can hold up a skull or a foot to talk about the procedure," Stegeman said at the expo Tuesday.

That is important, especially when patients with unique conditions walk through their doors, he added. Having a 3-D is a big improvement from holding up two-dimensional MRI scans because now you can take those MRI data and convert them to an actual human body part.

It also can help in doing dry runs of actual surgeries, Stegeman said. The materials used to make the parts are such that they can be cut, just like bone, and they can be used like surgical guides to help physicians to know where to make an incision, for example, he said.

Hospitals have the ability to both lease or buy the 3-D printers that Stratasys makes. Printers range from $10,000 all the way to $250,000.

"Those that have medical applications and can be used in hospitals are in the mid-range," Stegeman said. 

-- Arundhati Parmar, Senior Editor, MD+DI