Chinese doctors have successfully replaced a section of a woman cancer patient's forehead with a 3D-printed part. The patient who is in her early 20s had recurrent tumours for over 16 years and had kept her hair long at the front to cover the growths.
"I have had bangs for over a decade, finally I can grow my hair out and not be paranoid about my tumors," she was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.
When her tumours first began to show, around 16 years ago, Liu had them removed but they returned and grew back larger than before. Despite multiple operations over the years, the tumors returned every time.
The tumours were eventually identified as benign, but due to their location they put pressure against her right eye socket, meaning if they were not removed they would possibly have impaired her vision and limit her motor skills.
Doctors in Chongqing municipality agreed that a complete excision was the only suitable procedure. The location of tumour was such that an operation would have disfigured her face and the damage would have been almost impossible to repair by traditional plastic surgery.
After discussion, a 3D-printed bone replica procedure was agreed as the best operation. The patient underwent a high-precision CT scan so that doctors could create a 3D reconstruction of her skull and print a 1:1 replica of the bone part, with a precision of 20 microns.
The replica piece was then implanted and fixed in place with titanium screws. The operation was conducted earlier this month. Liu was discharged from hospital, the report said.
