Jun 3, 2015 | By Simon
Although we’ve seen just how much of an impact 3D printed prosthetics can have due to their low cost of fabrication as well as the ability to customize a prosthetic to be completely unique for a user’s needs, the majority of the devices that have been fabricated have been for those who have lost a limb such as a hand, arm or leg. But for those who are in need of more delicate prosthetics, do the benefits of additive manufacturing still hold true? If the success of a recent implant in Ireland is any indication, then yes, it does.
Tessa Evans, who was born with an extremely rare medical condition - only 47 cases have been reported in medical history - called complete congenital arhinia, meaning that the two-year-old was born without a nose. The condition was detected during the 20-week scan which showed Tessa had an abnormally flat facial profile. Although the toddler doesn’t have a physical nose and has no sense of smell or sinuses, she is still able to cough, sneeze and catch a cold.
In an effort to help the toddler grow up without feeling different amongst her peers, her parent Grainne, 31, and Nathan, 33, recently called upon some medical experts to create a cosmetic implant to replace the missing appendage.
"It was an incredibly difficult decision for all of us, we love Tessa so much and thought she was completely beautiful the way she was,” said Grainne.
"We ultimately decided to go ahead as it was a chance to gradually change her appearance over the years and to normalise her profile without ever cutting her face.”
The decision to create an implant was surely a difficult one - many medical experts advise that for surgeries such as Tessa’s, it is best to wait until the teenage years when a face has stopped growing to construct a nose with bone and skin grafts that can otherwise cause scarring. However, thanks to both the recent advancements in 3D printing as well as the low cost of creating replacements, doctors concluded that they would be able to perform a less aggressive procedure that can be regularly replaced as Tessa grows older without the need for invasive surgeries.
To create the nose, a plastic surgeon took 3D scans of Tessa’s skull and then used the data to create an accurate 3D printed replica. Then, using modeling clay, the doctor sculpted an anatomically-correct nose over the surfaces of the 3D printed skull to determine the final shape of what would become the form of the final nose implant.
Once a final nose had been made, the doctor implanted it by creating an incision behind Tessa’s hairline and applied it to the skull just as it had been done on the 3D printed replica beforehand. By creating the incision behind Tessa’s hairline, the doctor will be able to repeat the 3D printed skull replica and modeling clay process every two years without causing scarring. The final nose implant will be inserted once Tessa’s face has stopped growing during her late teenage years.
Tessa gets a hug from her mum Grainne after the operation
"Tessa is like any other little girl, she loves playing with her brother and sister, she's always smiling and has never let her condition stop her from doing anything,” added Grainne.
"Everyone who meets her instantly falls in love with her, we just want her to inspire other people like she inspires us."
Jonathan Britto, Tessa's craniofacial plastic surgeon said: "After the operation Tessa looked immediately more featured. Her prosthesis will heal nicely and her face will slowly grow now around the implant to accommodate the nasal shape."
"When she has the final implant when she's a teenager, the skin can be tattooed with nuances of light and shadow to finally complete the staged aesthetic reconstruction," he added.
"Tessa's case is extremely unusual. However this new technology combined with the longstanding principle of tissue expansion will help other children with arhinia, as the previous options were poor, and involved complex surgeries with higher risk and less reward."
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
Maybe you also like:
- Using 3D scanning and 3D printing to restore a historic steam locomotive
- Tutorial: How to design and print your own electronics enclosures
- How to get a ship in a bottle? 3D print it! (video)
- MIT's 3D printed metamaterial lens could improve satellite and molecular imaging
- Huddle: Stylish 3D printed lamp features a miniature cityscape
- Walking bio-bots created on a 3D printer
- Dutch artist uses 3D printer to produce his own skeleton
- 3D printing photo booth has long existed in Spain
- 3D printed Mykita Mylon 2012 eyewear collection
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
