14 DAY TRIAL // Some people suffer pains and other complications from diseases or injuries even decades after they happened, and this had been the case for Meryl Richards since 1977. I say “had been” the case because, well, it no longer is.
Why? Because of a 3D printed joint replacement applied to her hip not that long ago. A 3D printed hip implant in other words.
Dr. Dunlop, of Southampton Gen. Hospital in the UK, approached Meryl Richards and offered to create the replacement joint for her.
Considering that she had been toiling with a leg being a full 2 inches / 5 cm shorter than the other and using crutches and walking sticks (when her chronic pains weren't too bad to prevent even that), she readily agreed. Now, she has a new joint that acts as a replacement socket that allows the ball of the femur to properly interface with the pelvis.
The operation cost approximately $20,000 / €15,000, but costs should go down over time. And it was small compared to what her previous surgeries cost, combined.
The joint was printed from titanium and is now held in place using Meryl Richards' own stem cells, much like it was for most other 3D printed implants over the past couple of years.
