14 DAY TRIAL // It may take a special kind of expertise and bravery to actually implant something 3D printed inside a patient, even now after the procedure has proven viable in more than one situation. However, using 3D printed body parts for practice surgical runs is a completely different matter.
3D models are pretty easy to make based on CT scans in this day and age, thanks to advances in software creation.
That means that it's possible to make virtual models of various body parts, or sections of the skeleton as the case is here.
Dr. Russell Petrie from the Hoag Orthopedic Institute, in Orange County, California, used 3D printing to make an exact replica of a patient's injured shoulder (which had been causing her pain for years, preventing her from doing even simple things like brushing her hair or washing her back). That replica was then used for practice surgical sessions, which ultimately increased the chances of success on the actual intervention that allowed them to do the bone graft.
It was very helpful because the issue was a combination of arthritis and a hole in her bone, located in a very hard to see spot. You can be sure that 3D printing will only be used more at Hoag from now on.
