Bon Vergweij, MD, of Netherlands’ University Medical Centre, performed the world’s first 3-D printed plastic skull transplant, according to Gulf News.
Here are four things to know:
1. While Dr. Vergweij performed the transplant surgery three years ago, he will be publishing the results of the surgery in an international journal later this year.
2. Dr. Vergweij replaced 80 percent of the patient’s skull, resulting in a Guinness world record.
3. The skull transplant took 23 hours. The neurosurgeon noted often conventional skull transplant models use cement that hardens in 10 minutes, making it difficult to mold the implant.
4. Dr. Vergweij is active in the developments of 3-D printed implants.
He told Gulf News, “It is a perfect example of modern personalized medicine. With the patient’s CT scan, we are able to capture his exact contours and create an exact fit. We are using 3-D printing in cranial defects maxilla facial surgery where cancerous tumors, or road trauma injuries, require excision of parts of a
patient’s face. These models are not only functional and perfect fits, but cosmetically speaking restore a patient’s original looks.”