How might 3D printing affect clinical practice? Customised body parts have the potential to transform care

摘要

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the value of a three-dimensional printout could be considerable. 3D printing is starting to disrupt the manufacturing industry, from jewellery to firearms, rapid prototyping to motor racing components. Inevitably, it has now reached healthcare. Last year Craig Gerrand, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, used computed tomography guided 3D printing to develop a titanium pelvis for a patient with chondrosarcoma. And doctors at University of Michigan's Mott Children's Hospital have implanted 3D printed plastic splints into the trachea of neonates to rectify tracheobronchomalacia.