Case Studies

Revolutionizing pediatric cardiac care at southampton hospital.

In the heart of Southampton, United Kingdom, Mr. Nicola Viola, clinical lead for congenital cardiac…

Enhancing Surgical Precision: Patient-Specific 3D Model for Vascular Calcification Assessment

In vascular surgery, the precision of clamping for complex surgeries such as organ transplantation…

Optimizing surgical outcomes with 3D models in Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV) cases

Dr. Ala Al-Lawati, Head of the Cardiac Surgery Department at the National Heart Centre of the Royal…

Gaining insights into anatomical intricacies of ccTGA using patient-specific 3D solutions

Correcting transposition of the great arteries with the help of a patient-specific 3d printed anatomical model.

Case Dr. Nicola Viola is a Cardiac Pediatric Surgeon at University Hospital Southampton NHS…

Medical 3D model saves crucial time in heart transplant surgery for a patient with congenital heart disease

Abdel Hakim Moustafa is a Cardiologist and specializes in advanced cardiac imaging. He works at…

3D Printed Model Helps Clinical Team Plan Surgery for Infant with Multiple Heart Defects

CHD affects approximately 1 in 100 live births, making it one of the most common congenital…

Clinical team uses 3D printed model to reduce risk in cardiac surgery

Congenital heart defects are the most common human birth defect, found in up to 2% of the…

Simulating a surgical plan with physical 3D anatomical models

A patient presented with a severe deformity affecting the majority of the bones in their foot, most…

  • Craniomaxillofacial
  • Neurosurgery
  • Traumatology
  • Pre-operative planning
  • 3D Print Labs

Book a call with our experts to discuss a trial of our patient specific 3D solutions

3D anatomical models are proven to improve patient experience, reduce operating time and costs, and improve a surgeons’ confidence in their surgical plans.

Simply complete the form below and our team will get right back to you.

By submitting this form, I consent to my data being used to contact me and stored in line with the guidelines set out in the Privacy Policy

  • Search by keyword
  • Search by citation

Page 1 of 5

Dimensional accuracy and precision and surgeon perception of additively manufactured bone models: effect of manufacturing technology and part orientation

Additively manufactured (AM) anatomical bone models are primarily utilized for training and preoperative planning purposes. As such, they must meet stringent requirements, with dimensional accuracy being of ut...

  • View Full Text

Measured and simulated mechanical properties of additively manufactured matrix-inclusion multimaterials fabricated by material jetting

Modern additive manufacturing enables the simultaneous processing of different materials during the printing process. While multimaterial 3D printing allows greater freedom in part design, the prediction of th...

Clinical situations for which 3D printing is considered an appropriate representation or extension of data contained in a medical imaging examination: pediatric congenital heart disease conditions

The use of medical 3D printing (focusing on anatomical modeling) has continued to grow since the Radiological Society of North America’s (RSNA) 3D Printing Special Interest Group (3DPSIG) released its initial ...

Clinical application of a three-dimensional-printed model in the treatment of intracranial and extracranial communicating tumors: a pilot study

Surgical management for intracranial and extracranial communicating tumors is difficult due to the complex anatomical structures. Therefore, assisting methods are urgently needed. Accordingly, this study aimed...

The utility of three-dimensional modeling and printing in pediatric surgical patient and family education: a systematic review

Three-dimensional (3D) modeling and printing are increasingly being used in surgical settings. This technology has several applications including pre-operative surgical planning, inter-team communication, and ...

3D printing for an anterolateral thigh phalloplasty

Phalloplasty procedures are performed to create a phallus, typically as a gender-affirming surgery for treating gender dysphoria. Due to the controversial nature of this specific procedure, more innovation is ...

Clinical situations for which 3D Printing is considered an appropriate representation or extension of data contained in a medical imaging examination: vascular conditions

Medical three-dimensional (3D) printing has demonstrated utility and value in anatomic models for vascular conditions. A writing group composed of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Special Inter...

Clinical situations for which 3D printing is considered an appropriate representation or extension of data contained in a medical imaging examination: neurosurgical and otolaryngologic conditions

Medical three dimensional (3D) printing is performed for neurosurgical and otolaryngologic conditions, but without evidence-based guidance on clinical appropriateness. A writing group composed of the Radiologi...

Characterization of mechanical stiffness using additive manufacturing and finite element analysis: potential tool for bone health assessment

Bone health and fracture risk are known to be correlated with stiffness. Both micro-finite element analysis (μFEA) and mechanical testing of additive manufactured phantoms are useful approaches for estimating ...

Correction: Navigating the intersection of 3D printing, software regulation and quality control for point-of-care manufacturing of personalized anatomical models

The original article was published in 3D Printing in Medicine 2023 9 :9

Assessment of Staphylococcus Aureus growth on biocompatible 3D printed materials

The customizability of 3D printing allows for the manufacturing of personalized medical devices such as laryngectomy tubes, but it is vital to establish the biocompatibility of printing materials to ensure tha...

Development of a 3D-printed, patient-specific stereotactic system for bihemispheric deep brain stimulation

The aim of the project was to develop a patient-specific stereotactic system that allows simultaneous and thus time-saving treatment of both cerebral hemispheres and that contains all spatial axes and can be u...

3D-printing of the elbow in complex posttraumatic elbow-stiffness for preoperative planning, surgery-simulation and postoperative control

Restoration of mobility of the elbow after post-traumatic elbow stiffening due to osteophytes is often a problem.

Medical 3D printing with polyjet technology: effect of material type and printing orientation on printability, surface structure and cytotoxicity

Due to its high printing resolution and ability to print multiple materials simultaneously, inkjet technology has found wide application in medicine. However, the biological safety of 3D-printed objects is not...

case study 3d printing medical

Hybrid modeling techniques for 3D printed deep inferior epigastric perforator flap models

Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap (DIEP) surgical procedures have benefited in recent years from the introduction of 3D printed models, yet new technologies are expanding design opportunities which prom...

Technical improvements in preparing 3D printed anatomical models for comminuted fracture preoperative planning

Preoperative planning of comminuted fracture repair using 3D printed anatomical models is enabling surgeons to visualize and simulate the fracture reduction processes before surgery. However, the preparation o...

Use of patient-specific guides and 3D model in scapula osteotomy for symptomatic malunion

Scapular osteotomy for malunion can lead to resolution of pain and functional improvement in scapula fracture sequelae. Understanding three-dimensional bone morphology and analysing post-traumatic deformity is...

Correction to: Design, printing optimization, and material testing of a 3D-printed nasal osteotomy task trainer

The original article was published in 3D Printing in Medicine 2023 9 :20

Development of an individual helmet orthosis for infants based on a 3D scan

An early childhood skull deformity can have long-term health and aesthetic consequences for the growing toddler. Individual helmet therapy aims at a healthy growth of the skull shape, although not every helmet...

Generative AI for medical 3D printing: a comparison of ChatGPT outputs to reference standard education

Design, printing optimization, and material testing of a 3d-printed nasal osteotomy task trainer.

For difficult or rare procedures, simulation offers an opportunity to provide education and training. In developing an adequate model to utilize in simulation, 3D printing has emerged as a useful technology to...

The Correction to this article has been published in 3D Printing in Medicine 2023 9 :23

Development of 3D printed patient-specific skull implants based on 3d surface scans

Sometimes cranioplasty is necessary to reconstruct skull bone defects after a neurosurgical operation. If an autologous bone is unavailable, alloplastic materials are used. The standard technical approach for ...

Elbow hemiarthroplasty with a 3D-printed prosthesis for distal humeral bone defects after tumor excision: a case report

The distal humerus is a rare site for primary and metastatic bone tumors. Due to the scarcity of cases and lack of standardized surgical strategies, it is often difficult for surgeons to choose the right choic...

Design and Development of a Novel 3-D Printed External Fixation Device for Fracture Stabilization

An external fixator is an orthopaedic device used to stabilize long bone fractures after high energy trauma. These devices are external to the body and fixed to metal pins going into non-injured areas of bone....

Deformable titanium for acetabular revision surgery: a proof of concept

Custom-made triflange acetabular implants are increasingly used in complex revision surgery where supporting bone stock is diminished. In most cases these triflange cups induce stress-shielding. A new concept ...

3D Printed Orthopaedic External Fixation Devices: A Systematic Review

External fixators are complex, expensive orthopaedic devices used to stabilize high-energy and complex fractures of the extremities. Although the technology has advanced dramatically over the last several deca...

Perspectives on medical 3D printing at the point-of-care from the new European 3D Printing Special Interest Group

This editorial presents the vision for the newly formed (2022) European 3D Special Interest Group (EU3DSIG) in the landscape of medical 3D printing. There are four areas of work identified by the EU3DSIG in th...

3D printing exposure and perception in radiology residency: survey results of radiology chief residents

The purpose of this study is to summarize a survey of radiology chief residents focused on 3D printing in radiology.

3D-printing a cost-effective model for mastoidectomy training

3D-printed temporal bone models can potentially provide a cost-effective alternative to cadaver surgery that can be manufactured locally at the training department. The objective of this study was to create a ...

Guiding prosthetic femoral version using 3D-printed patient-specific instrumentation (PSI): a pilot study

Implantation of the femoral component with suboptimal version is associated with instability of the reconstructed hip joint. High variability of Prosthetic Femoral Version (PFV) has been reported in primary To...

Utilizing 3D printing to assist pre-procedure planning of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedures: a pilot study

3D (three-dimensional) printing has been adopted by the medical community in several ways, procedure planning being one example. This application of technology has been adopted by several subspecialties includ...

Navigating the intersection of 3D printing, software regulation and quality control for point-of-care manufacturing of personalized anatomical models

3D printing technology has become increasingly popular in healthcare settings, with applications of 3D printed anatomical models ranging from diagnostics and surgical planning to patient education. However, as...

The Correction to this article has been published in 3D Printing in Medicine 2023 9 :31

Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 3D Printing Special Interest Group (SIG) clinical situations for which 3D printing is considered an appropriate representation or extension of data contained in a medical imaging examination: breast conditions

The use of medical 3D printing has expanded dramatically for breast diseases. A writing group composed of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Special Interest Group on 3D Printing (SIG) provides u...

Local design and manufacturing of patient-specific implant using Anatomage Medical Design Studio software: proof of concept - Botswana’s 1st case report

Botswana, like most sub-Sahara African nations, uses conventional orthopaedic implants that are sourced from major manufactures in the West. The implants are mass-produced and designed with universal configura...

Individualized medicine using 3D printing technology in gynecology: a scoping review

Developments in 3-dimensional (3D) printing technology has made it possible to produce high quality, affordable 3D printed models for use in medicine. As a result, there is a growing assessment of this approac...

Customizable document control solution for 3D printing at the point-of-care

The rapid expansion and anticipated U.S Food and Drug Administration regulation of 3D printing at the point-of-care necessitates the creation of robust quality management systems. A critical component of any q...

Use of 3-dimensional printing at the point-of-care to manage a complex wound in hemifacial necrotizing fasciitis: a case report

Complex facial wounds can be difficult to stabilize due to proximity of vital structures. We present a case in which a patient-specific wound splint was manufactured using computer assisted design and three-di...

Development and evaluation of a facile mesh-to-surface tool for customised wheelchair cushions

Custom orthoses are becoming more commonly prescribed for upper and lower limbs. They require some form of shape-capture of the body parts they will be in contact with, which generates an STL file that designe...

Comparative effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) vs 3D printed models of congenital heart disease in resident and nurse practitioner educational experience

Medical trainees frequently note that cardiac anatomy is difficult to conceive within a two dimensional framework. The specific anatomic defects and the subsequent pathophysiology in flow dynamics may become m...

Advanced Image Segmentation and Modeling – A Review of the 2021–2022 Thematic Series

Medical 3D printing is a form of manufacturing that benefits patient care, particularly when the 3D printed part is patient-specific and either enables or facilitates an intervention for a specific condition. ...

The biomechanical behavior of 3D printed human femoral bones based on generic and patient-specific geometries

Bone is a highly complex composite material which makes it hard to find appropriate artificial surrogates for patient-specific biomechanical testing. Despite various options of commercially available bones wit...

Using human factors principles to redesign a 3D lab workflow during the COVID-19 pandemic

Like most hospitals, our hospital experienced COVID-19 pandemic-related supply chain shortages. Our additive manufacturing lab’s capacity to offset these shortages was soon overwhelmed, leading to a need to im...

Morphometric analysis of patient-specific 3D-printed acetabular cups: a comparative study of commercially available implants from 6 manufacturers

3D printed patient-specific titanium acetabular cups are used to treat patients with massive acetabular defects. These have highly porous surfaces, with the design intent of enhancing bony fixation. Our aim wa...

3D printed model for triple negative inflammatory breast cancer

Access to imaging reports and review of the breast imaging directly with a patient with breast cancer helps improve the understanding of disease extent and severity. A 3D printed breast model can further enhan...

Adapting a simple surgical manual tool to a 3D printed implantology protocol: the use of a universal screwdriver for fixation of custom-made laser sintered titanium subperiosteal implants

Current paper aims to describe a simple technique used for the fixation of the screws of a customized implant via a universal screw driver (BoneTrust® Easy Screw according to Dr. Bayer, Medical Instinct®, GmbH...

Three-dimensional bioprinting of mucoadhesive scaffolds for the treatment of oral mucosal lesions; an in vitro study

Chronic oral lesions could be a part of some diseases, including mucocutaneous diseases, immunobullous diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, and graft versus host diseases. Systemic steroids are an effective tr...

Translational design for limited resource settings as demonstrated by Vent-Lock, a 3D-printed ventilator multiplexer

Mechanical ventilators are essential to patients who become critically ill with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and shortages have been reported due to the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome c...

Evaluating surface coatings to reduce bone cement adhesion to point of care 3D printed molds in the intraoperative setting

Polymethyl methacrylate, or “bone cement,” can be used intraoperatively to replace damaged or diseased bone and to deliver local antibiotics. 3D printed molds allow surgeons to form personalized and custom sha...

3D-printed mouthpiece adapter for sampling exhaled breath in medical applications

The growing use of 3D printing in the biomedical sciences demonstrates its utility for a wide range of research and healthcare applications, including its potential implementation in the discipline of breath a...

Correction: Accuracy of guide wire placement for femoral neck stabilization using 3D printed drill guides

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

The original article was published in 3D Printing in Medicine 2022 8 :19

New Content Item

  • Editorial Board
  • Manuscript editing services
  • Instructions for Editors
  • Sign up for article alerts and news from this journal

Annual Journal Metrics

2022 Citation Impact 3.7 - 2-year Impact Factor

2022 Speed 10 days submission to first editorial decision for all manuscripts (Median) 97 days submission to accept (Median)

2022 Usage  191,975 downloads 360 Altmetric mentions 

  • More about our metrics
  • ISSN: 2365-6271 (electronic)

3D Printing in Medicine

ISSN: 2365-6271

Book cover

International Conference on Design, Simulation, Manufacturing: The Innovation Exchange

ADM 2021: Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering II pp 535–545 Cite as

3D Printing of Prototypes Starting from Medical Imaging: A Liver Case Study

  • Robinson Guachi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0476-6973 15 , 16 ,
  • Michele Bici   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7744-2152 15 ,
  • Fabiano Bini   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5641-1189 15 ,
  • Marcelo Esteban Calispa   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4085-8488 17 ,
  • Cristina Oscullo   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7622-4922 16 ,
  • Lorena Guachi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8951-8150 16 , 18 ,
  • Francesca Campana   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6833-8505 15 &
  • Franco Marinozzi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4872-2980 15  
  • Conference paper
  • First Online: 01 December 2021

2272 Accesses

2 Citations

Part of the Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering book series (LNME)

Hepatic diseases are serious condition worldwide, and several times doctors analyse the situation and elaborates a preoperative planning based exclusively on the medical images, which are a drawback since they only provide a 2D vision and the location of the damaged tissues in the three-dimensional space cannot be easily determined by surgeons. Nowadays, with the advancement of Computer Aided Design (CAD) technologies and image segmentation, a digital liver model can be obtained to help understand the particular medical case; even with the geometric model, a virtual simulation can be elaborated. This work is divided into two phases; the first phase involves a workflow to create a liver geometrical model from medical images. Whereas the second phase provides a methodology to achieve liver prototype, using the technique of fused deposition modelling (FDM). The two stages determine and evaluate the most influencing parameters to make this design repeatable in different hepatic diseases. The reported case study provides a valuable method for optimizing preoperative plans for liver disease. In addition, the prototype built with additive manufacturing will allow the new doctors to speed up their learning curve, since they can manipulate the real geometry of the patient's liver with their hands.

  • Image segmentation
  • Convolutional neural network
  • 3D printing
  • Liver disease

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution .

Buying options

  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

U.S. National Library of Medicine, “MedlinePlus,” Liver Diseases (2019). https://medlineplus.gov/liverdiseases.html#cat_79 . Accessed 11 Apr 2021

Billingsley, K.G., Jarnagin, W.R., Fong, Y., Blumgart, L.H.: Segment-oriented hepatic resection in the management of malignant neoplasms of the liver. J. Am. Coll. Surg. 187 (5), 471–481 (1998)

Article   Google Scholar  

McColl, R.J., Shaheen, A.A.M., Brar, B., Kaplan, G., Myers, R., Sutherland, F., Dixon, E.: Survival after hepatic resection: impact of surgeon training on long-term outcome. Can. J. Surg. 56 (4), 256–262 (2013)

Catalano, O.A., Singh, A.H., Uppot, R.N., Hahn, P.F., Ferrone, C.R., Sahani, D.V.: Vascular and biliary variants in the liver: implications for liver surgery. Radiographics 28 (2), 359–378 (2008)

Helling, T.S.: Liver failure following partial hepatectomy. HPB 8 (3), 165–174 (2006)

Ikegami, T., Maehara, Y.: Transplantation: 3D printing of the liver in living donor liver transplantation. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 10 (12), 697–698 (2013)

Zein, N.N., et al.: Three-dimensional print of a liver for preoperative planning in living donor liver transplantation Liver Transplant. 19 (12), 1304–1310

Google Scholar  

House, M.G., et al.: Survival after hepatic resection for metastatic colorectal cancer: trends in outcomes for 1,600 patients during two decades at a single institution. J. Am. Coll. Surg. 210 (5), 744–752 (2010)

Guachi, L., Guachi, R., Bini, F., Marinozzi, F.: Automatic colorectal segmentation with convolutional neural network. Comput.-Aided Des. Appl. 16 (5), 836–845 (2019)

Kim, S., Lim, H: Method of background subtraction for medical image segmentation, In: CITSA 2006 - 3rd International Conference on Cybernetics and Information Technology, Systems and Applications jointly with the 4th International Conference on Computing, Communications and Control Technologies, CCCT 2006 - Proceedings, vol. 1, pp. 87–91 (2006)

Gayathri Devi, K., Radhakrishnan, R.: Automatic segmentation of colon in 3D CT images and removal of opacified fluid using cascade feed forward neural network. Comput. Math. Meth. Med. 2015 (670739), 1–15 (2015)

Kainz, P., Pfeiffer, M., Urschler, M.: Semantic segmentation of colon glands with deep convolutional neural networks and total variation segmentation. ArXiv, pp. 1–15 (2015)

Uccheddu, F., Carfagni, M., Governi, L., Furferi, R., Volpe, Y., Nocerino, E.: 3D printing of cardiac structures from medical images: an overview of methods and interactive tools. Int. J. Interact. Des. Manuf. 12 (2), 597–609 (2018)

Madurska, M.J., Poyade, M., Eason, D., Rea, P., Watson, A.J.M.: Development of a patient-specific 3D-printed liver model for preoperative planning. Surg. Innov. 24 (2), 145–150 (2017)

Bici, M., et al.: Digital design of medical replicas via desktop systems: shape evaluation of colon parts. J. Healthcare Eng. 2018 (3272596), 1–10 (2018)

Guachi, R., Bici, M., Guachi, L., Campana, F., Bini, F., Marinozzi, F.: Geometrical modelling effects on FEA of colorectal surgery Comput.-Aided Des. Appl. 16 (4), 778–788 2019

Guachi, R., Bini, F., Bici, M., Campana, F., Marinozzi, F., Guachi, L.: Finite element analysis in colorectal surgery: non-linear effects induced by material model and geometry. Comput. Meth. Biomech. Biomed. Eng. Imaging Visual. 8 (2), 219–230 (2020)

Kühnapfel, U.G., Kuhn, C., Hübner, M., Krumm, H.-G., Maass, H., Neisius, B.: The Karlsruhe Endoscopic Surgery Trainer as an example for virtual reality in medical education. Minimally Invasive Therapy Allied Technol. 6 (2), 122–125 (1997)

Ircad, 3D-IRCADb-01 database. https://www.ircad.fr/research/3d-ircadb-01/ . Accessed 11 Apr 2021

Yu, H., Huang, T.-Z., Deng, L.-J., Zhao, X.-L.: Super-resolution via a fast deconvolution with kernel estimation. Eurasip J. Image Video Process. 2017 (1), Article no. 3 (2016)

Christinal, H.A., Díaz-Pernil, D., Real Jurado, P.: Segmentation in 2D and 3D image using tissue-like P system. In: Bayro-Corrochano, E., Eklundh, J.-O. (eds.) CIARP 2009. LNCS, vol. 5856, pp. 169–176. Springer, Heidelberg (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10268-4_20

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Vorontsov, E., Tang, A., Pal, C., Kadoury, S.: Liver lesion segmentation informed by joint liver segmentation. In: Proceedings - International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging, April 2018, pp. 1332–1335 (2018)

Yang, J., Dvornek, N.C., Zhang, F., Chapiro, J., Lin, M., Duncan, J.S.: Unsupervised domain adaptation via disentangled representations: application to cross-modality liver segmentation. In: Shen, D. et al. (eds.) Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention – MICCAI 2019, MICCAI 2019. LNCS, vol. 11765, pp. 255–263. Springer, Cham (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32245-8_29

Bici, M., Campana, F., Petriaggi, S., Tito, L.: Study of a point cloud segmentation with part type recognition for tolerance inspection of plastic components via reverse engineering. Comput.-Aided Des. Appl. 11 (6), 640–648 (2014)

Bici, M., Campana, F., Trifirò, A., Testani, C.: Development of automatic tolerance inspection through Reverse Engineering. In: 2014 IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for Aerospace, MetroAeroSpace 2014 - Proceedings, Article no. 6865903, pp. 107–112 (2014)

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, DIMA – Sapienza University of Rome, 00184, Rome, Italy

Robinson Guachi, Michele Bici, Fabiano Bini, Francesca Campana & Franco Marinozzi

Department of Mechatronics, Universidad Internacional del Ecuador - UIDE, 170411, Av. Simón Bolívar, Quito, Ecuador

Robinson Guachi, Cristina Oscullo & Lorena Guachi

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo - ESPOCH, Panamericana Sur km 1 1/2, 060155, Riobamba, Ecuador

Marcelo Esteban Calispa

SDAS Research Group, Ibarra, Ecuador

Lorena Guachi

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robinson Guachi .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale, dell’Informazione e della Produzione, Univesita Degli Studi di Bergamo, Dalmine, Bergamo, Italy

Caterina Rizzi

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy

Francesca Campana

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy

Michele Bici

Dipartimento di Ingegneria "Enzo Ferrari", Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

Francesco Gherardini

Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy

Tommaso Ingrassia

Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Roma, Italy

Paolo Cicconi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Cite this paper.

Guachi, R. et al. (2022). 3D Printing of Prototypes Starting from Medical Imaging: A Liver Case Study. In: Rizzi, C., Campana, F., Bici, M., Gherardini, F., Ingrassia, T., Cicconi, P. (eds) Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering II. ADM 2021. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91234-5_54

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91234-5_54

Published : 01 December 2021

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-91233-8

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-91234-5

eBook Packages : Engineering Engineering (R0)

Share this paper

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

  • Publish with us

Policies and ethics

  • Find a journal
  • Track your research

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

  • Publications
  • Account settings
  • Advanced Search
  • Journal List
  • J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev
  • v.5(4); 2021 Apr

Logo of jaaosgrr

Three-dimensional Printing in Orthopaedic Surgery: Current Applications and Future Developments

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an exciting form of manufacturing technology that has transformed the way we can treat various medical pathologies. Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing fuses materials together in a layer-by-layer fashion to construct a final 3D product. This technology allows flexibility in the design process and enables efficient production of both off-the-shelf and personalized medical products that accommodate patient needs better than traditional manufacturing processes. In the field of orthopaedic surgery, 3D printing implants and instrumentation can be used to address a variety of pathologies that would otherwise be challenging to manage with products made from traditional subtractive manufacturing. Furthermore, 3D bioprinting has significantly impacted bone and cartilage restoration procedures and has the potential to completely transform how we treat patients with debilitating musculoskeletal injuries. Although costs can be high, as technology advances, the economics of 3D printing will improve, especially as the benefits of this technology have clearly been demonstrated in both orthopaedic surgery and medicine as a whole. This review outlines the basics of 3D printing technology and its current applications in orthopaedic surgery and ends with a brief summary of 3D bioprinting and its potential future impact.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing (additive manufacturing) has revolutionized the design theory and manufacturing processes behind a wide range of products in all major industries, providing substantial opportunity for easy prototyping, small production runs with opportunity for real-time refinement, and customizability. Creating geometrically complex and heavily detailed designs and even one-off manufacturing that would not be feasible with traditional production methods has been made possible with this powerful technology. In addition, traditional manufacturing tends to require a central manufacturing site with space to store large inventories. On-demand manufacturing, made possible with 3D printing, has changed this workflow and eliminated the need for a large production and storage space. The technology has become an integral component to commercial manufacturing and made its way into personal homes with the advent of desktop 3D printers. With compatible software and appropriate materials, consumers can witness the transformation from starting material to finished product of their own designs.

Within the field of orthopaedic surgery, 3D printing has impacted patient care and education in several orthopaedic subspecialties. 1 - 3 Three-dimensional printed anatomic models are commonly used in preoperative planning and have become a useful educational tool for patient instruction and trainee teaching. For many orthopaedic procedures, including arthroplasty and complex reconstructions, the use of 3D-printed patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) has become commonplace. The excitement around 3D printing continues to build as the fusion of 3D printing and biomedical science has shown early promise. This review article summarizes the fundamentals of 3D printing, discusses its utility within orthopaedic surgery, and highlights its potential future impact.

Basics of Three-dimensional Printing in Medicine

Two main types of product manufacturing exist: additive and subtractive. Additive manufacturing fuses successive layers of solids, liquids, or powders to generate the finished product. 4 , 5 In contrast, in subtractive manufacturing, the beginning material is cut, milled, or molded from a base product to create the final structure. Various methods of 3D printing exist, but each involves a common stepwise process (Figure ​ (Figure1 1 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is jagrr-5-e20.00230-g001.jpg

Basic steps of three-dimensional (3D) printing for medical applications. STL = standard triangle language.

First, a digital representation of the end product is generated through a de novo design or by processing cross-sectional imaging from CT and/or MRI scans saved in the digital imaging and communications in medicine format. This approach enables software to refine these images in the segmentation process to precisely define the shape of the object to be printed with regions of interest, which differentiate between tissues and surrounding anatomical structures. 6 , 7 The contours of segmented regions of interest are computationally transformed into an standard triangle language file. In 2011, the additive manufacturing file was approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials, allowing users to integrate additional features of the 3D-printed object into the design (eg, surface texture, color, and material properties). 6

The next step translates the standard triangle language or additive manufacturing file into a code, typically the G-code, which enables the printer to transform the digitally supplied coordinates of the file into a sequence of two-dimensional cross-sections. These cross-sections are essential as they form the base of each layer, which the printer fuses together to create the final 3D object. 8

Once the final product is ready for printing, several methods from which to choose are available, which include material extrusion, material jetting, binder jetting, powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, stereolithography, sheet lamination, and vat polymerization. Material extrusion, or fused deposition modeling, has become one of the most common printing methods and uses solid-based starting materials. In this process, tiny beads or streams of material exit an extruder in a heated liquid or semiliquid form that is rapidly cooled, forming a hardened layer. 9 For metal-based products, powder bed fusion-based methods have proven to be successful and are commonly used for orthopaedic implants. A thin layer of powder is deposited on the building platform of the printer, where a thermal energy source, either laser or electron beam, fuses the appropriate region as indicated by the original design. This process is repeated for each layer or the slice of the structure until each has been fused properly, resulting in the desired final product (Figures ​ (Figures2 2 and ​ and3 3 ).

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is jagrr-5-e20.00230-g002.jpg

Steps of powder bed fusion from left to right. A layer of titanium powder (gray) is deposited on the printbed. A thermal energy source uses a beam of energy (red) to selectively fuse titanium powder according to data in the design file. The printbed lowers, and a new layer of titanium powder is deposited. The process repeats until the object or objects are completely printed.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is jagrr-5-e20.00230-g003.jpg

Finished three-dimensional printed implants. The extra titanium powder is brushed away and can be reused.

Traditional (subtractive) manufacturing relies on a base product that is milled or cut away to obtain the desired structure, resulting in waste and production of scrap. In contrast, additive manufacturing results in decreased amounts of raw material waste with reported rates less than 5%. 10 , 11 This advantage has made additive manufacturing a popular and efficient alternative; in addition, customized products are typically more expensive and time-consuming when traditional methods are used. 12 , 13 Although 3D printing is accompanied by its own set of limiting factors, its growing popularity and expansion across industries has substantially decreased costs, increased access, and led to increasing applications in several industries, including medicine. 9 , 12 , 14

Orthopaedic Applications

An overview of cited literature is provided in Table ​ Table1 1 .

Current Literature on the Applications of Three-dimensional Printing in Orthopaedic Surgery

Anatomic Models

Three-dimensional printed anatomic models are useful both for preoperative planning of complex cases and for teaching purposes. Surgeons can see and feel what they will encounter in the operating room with an accurate representation of the anatomy in 3D space. 15 , 16 When more than 100 orthopaedic surgeons were asked to choose a locking plate for a complex tibial fracture after looking at radiograph and CT imaging or a 3D-printed model, surgeons classified as inexperienced, having operated on fewer than 15 similar fractures, changed their preoperative plan over 70% of the time after using the 3D model. 17 Although experienced surgeons did not change their selection as frequently, more than 70% supported the use of 3D models in their practice if they were available. 17 In addition to aiding in hardware selection, 3D models allow for prebending of selected plates before surgery. This technique permits the plate to fit the individual anatomy of patients to facilitate accurate reduction and has shown promise in the treatment of clavicle fractures. 18 , 19

Three-dimensional printed anatomic models have been used in the mirror imaging technique, in which models of the contralateral uninjured side are printed and used in preoperative planning. Surgeons can use the fractured 3D model to simulate their reduction technique and use the uninjured 3D model to optimize plate selection. This technique has been implemented for clavicle fractures, calcaneal fractures, pilon fractures, and ankle fractures with excellent results. 20 , 21

Three-dimensional printed models can be instrumental in medical education. Resident surgeons can develop their technical skills with realistic 3D patient models that illustrate pathologies frequently encountered in the operating room. Trainees who were surveyed regarding the clinical utility of 3D-printed models when planning their surgical approach for percutaneous screw fixation of a posterior column fracture were overall very satisfied, stating that the models deepened their understanding of regional anatomy and the surgical technique. 22 Patient education has been augmented with 3D-printed anatomic models and may lead to improved patient perioperative understanding and compliance. 16

Despite the growing interest in and use of 3D-printed anatomic models, they are not currently reimbursed by third-party payers; however, the use of these models leads to significantly shorter operating times. At a mean of $62 operating room time per minute, net savings range from $19,384 to $129,589 and $77,536 to $518,358 for low and high utilization rates, respectively. 23 Even at low volumes, approximately 63 models per year, estimated cost savings could potentially cover the costs to maintain a 3D printing laboratory. 23

Prosthetics and Orthotics

Most braces and orthotics are available only in a limited number of sizes and are designed to fit a large fraction of the population. Although fully customizable prosthetics have proven to be effective, the manufacturing process is complex and adds to the overall cost and time required to make these prosthetics.

In contrast, 3D printing has revamped the design and production of ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs). Traditionally, AFOs are made from plaster castings of a patient's lower extremities, a labor-intensive and costly process that leads to problems with fit, comfort, and the overall design and appearance. 24 Three-dimensional printing has simplified the manufacturing process while facilitating a design that integrates the unique biomechanical metrics of each individual. For patients with plantar fasciitis, these 3D-printed AFOs have shown favorable outcomes. 25 An example of a 3D-printed AFO is shown in Figure ​ Figure4 4 .

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is jagrr-5-e20.00230-g004.jpg

Designing of ankle-foot orthosis (left). The ankle-foot orthosis being fitted to the patient (right).

Three-dimensional printing has reached patients' homes with the introduction of the desktop 3D printer. The straightforward manufacturing process has enabled amputees to print their own prosthetics. 26 , 27 This mode of prosthetic production could be an affordable and accessible solution for a large number of patients. However, no FDA approval currently exists for these 3D-printed devices, and regulation on their distribution is lacking. 27 A systematic review evaluating the clinical efficacy of 3D-printed upper limb prosthetics concluded that all studies meeting inclusion criteria failed to compare the 3D-printed prosthetics with currently available products or production methods, and only one article had sufficient power to detect clinically significant effects. 26 These studies did report favorable outcomes from the patient perspective and encourage the use of 3D printing as a new avenue for customized prosthetic development.

New Noncustom Implants

Three-dimensional printing technology can be used to produce orthopaedic implants that are not customized. Several new implant types for hip and knee arthroplasty have entered the market as a result of the streamlined 3D printing production process. Three-dimensional printed acetabular cups are thinner and less expensive than traditionally manufactured cups. 28 A recently published study on a small group of patients who underwent revision of an acetabular defect with a 3D-printed acetabular cup reported improved stability, better hip scores, and decreased pain. 29 The increased porosity and homogenous aperture of the 3D-printed cup have been hypothesized to facilitate bone growth better than traditionally manufactured cups. 29 In a similar fashion, 3D printing has led to the development of porous metal implants for foot and ankle arthrodesis. These implants serve as an alternative to traditional plates, screws, and staples, providing sufficient structural support and improved surface for biological incorporation. 30

Additive manufacturing has provided new strategies to refine the shape, rigidity, and material of new, innovative cage prototypes of interbody cages for spine surgery. The goal was to create a product that more accurately reflects properties of native bone. Preliminary studies evaluating mechanical properties of 3D-printed intervertebral fusion cages have found that they closely mimic the compressive modulus of trabecular bone. 31 After implantation of a 3D-printed lamellar titanium cage packed with bone graft, a particular study found a 98.9% arthrodesis rate at 1 year in 93 patients undergoing spinal fusion. 32

Patient-specific Instrumentation

Customized surgical guides for orthopaedic surgery have been manufactured with the aid of 3D printing technology. 33 , 34 Although it has been proposed that PSI reduces operative time and improves alignment, studies of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) demonstrated mixed results. 35 , 36 To preserve a high standard of patient care with a growing case load, an in-depth investigation into the economic efficiency of PSI is valuable. A randomized controlled trial of TKA analyzed the efficiency of conventional instrumentation, PSI, and single-use instrumentation. Cases were classified into four groups: conventional/reusable, patient-specific/reusable, conventional/single-use, and patient-specific/single-use instrumentation. Patient-specific/reusable instrumentation was the most expensive but demonstrated good outcomes: shorter surgery times, less blood loss, shorter length of stay, and higher Oxford Knee Scores 6 weeks postoperatively. 37 Single-use instrumentation prevented sterilization complications and avoided excess costs related to instrumentation but had no effect on efficiency. 37 Whether PSI in primary TKA has a definitive advantage is still unclear; however, a recent review found that most publications on this topic do not claim a significant advantage of its use, yet they did not identify a completely negative impact on the accuracy of the procedure either. 38

Three-dimensional printed patient-specific cutting jigs enable precise and accurate preoperative planning in complex cases of deformity. Correcting angular and rotational deformity can be challenging and requires intense preoperative planning. Clinical outcomes often depend on the accuracy of correction. Three-dimensional printed cutting and locking guides allow for extensive preoperative planning to maximize intraoperative success. Improvements in accuracy have been noted in medial closing wedge distal femoral osteotomy for valgus knee malalignment and lateral compartment disease. 39 Patients with acetabular fractures, which are difficult to assess and treat because of the complex anatomy of the acetabulum, have more precise screw and plate placement because of 3D-printed guiding templates created from CT scans of the pelvis. 40

The issues that can arise with PSI merit additional discussion. Three-dimensional printed PSI is designed to control the cutting and reduction according to the surgical plan, which in theory should improve the predictability of the procedure. Although the utility of these guides should not be understated, they remain technically demanding procedures. A small series of patients with uniplanar, biplanar, or triplanar malunion of the long bones underwent corrective osteotomies with 3D-printed patient-specific guides. For malunions of the lower extremities, almost all clinical measurements of the femur and tibia demonstrated an undercorrection postoperatively. Patients with malunions of the humerus had axial and sagittal correction rates that differed substantially between planned and achieved measurements. 41 Overall, the authors summarized their experience with 3D-printed PSI and concluded the following: careful examination of planned guide positioning is imperative for complete correction intraoperatively, use of predrilled screw holes does not guarantee accurate screw position, translation of bone fragments over osteotomy planes in the case of an oblique osteotomy warrants careful evaluation, and estimation of the depth of osteotomy is difficult and can lead to cartilage damage. 41

Patient-specific Custom Implants

Although standard implants are made to fit most of the general population, a personalized fit is required in cases with variations in anatomy and cases in which no already produced implant would suffice (eg, severe bone loss for trauma, cancer, and infection). Custom implants are arguably the most ground-breaking aspect of 3D printing for orthopaedic surgery; surgeons can now design and implant custom devices. Although this technology has the potential to revolutionize patient care, we must also exercise caution and obey the mantra “just because you can, doesn't mean you should.”

Understanding the indications and contraindications of using custom implants is important. The primary indication is cases in which currently available implants will not adequately treat the patient. General contraindications include active infection, vascular compromise, poor bone quality, and a poor soft tissue envelope. Further contraindications are region and subspecialty specific.

Once a patient has been identified for a 3D-printed custom implant, a prescription form is required to describe the pathology and document the unique need for a custom implant. In addition, preoperative imaging is needed. Typically, a CT scan and radiographs are submitted for the engineering team to create a 3D model of the patient's anatomy. Next, the surgeon and company representatives meet to discuss the patient's problem and implant design considerations, typically via a webinar. The surgeon should be ready to describe the goals and function of the implant. From the initial design meeting, one or more designs are created, which the surgeon approves or modifies. After the final design is approved by the engineering team and the primary surgeon, the process of fabricating the implant via 3D printing begins. This process is summarized in Figure ​ Figure5 5 .

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is jagrr-5-e20.00230-g005.jpg

Design process of a custom three-dimensional printed implant.

Custom implants are granted FDA approval through Section 520(b) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. 42 Several terms must apply for these implants to fall within this category of custom devices. First, each implant is designed for a specific patient at the prescription of a physician. Furthermore, the anatomy or pathology indicated must necessitate the use of a custom implant and cannot be treated with an implant already commercially available in the United States. Thus, the custom implants apply only on a case-by-case basis to manage unique and patient-specific pathology.

Three-dimensional printing has played a major role in the production of these patient-specific implants with growing evidence of its clinical success. An example of a patient receiving a custom 3D-printed implant for a large bony defect sustained in a motor vehicle collision is shown in Figure ​ Figure6. 6 . For large bone defects arising from traumatic bone loss, deformities, and nonunions, currently used strategies include allograft bone reconstruction, vascularized bone grafts, noncustom metal augments, and bone transport. 43 Each of these treatment modalities has its own drawbacks (Table ​ (Table2), 2 ), with the literature showing mixed clinical outcomes.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is jagrr-5-e20.00230-g006.jpg

A, Anterior-posterior (AP) radiograph of the left leg of a 22-year-old woman who was injured in a motor vehicle collision. She sustained an open tibia and fibula fracture. Bone was lost at the scene, leaving a large bony defect. B, Custom three-dimensional (3D) printed implant designed to fill the bony defect. C, Intraoperative image showing the distal tibia fracture and bone loss. D, Three-dimensional printed anatomic spacer block to assess alignment and length and to perform intramedullary reaming. E, AP radiograph demonstrating successful implantation of the 3D-printed implant. F, Lateral radiograph demonstrating successful implantation of the 3D-printed implant.

Limitations of Current Methods to Treat Large Bony Defects

Studies of 3D-printed patient-specific implants have demonstrated early promising results in cases of segmental bone defects. 44 Fifteen patients underwent treatment with a 3D-printed custom implant for severe bone loss, deformity correction, and/or arthrodesis procedures of the foot and ankle and demonstrated success with only two failures reported (one nonunion and one infection). 45 Custom 3D-printed sphere implants have been safely used for patients undergoing tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis with more patients achieving successful fusion compared with patients receiving femoral head allografts. 46 Recently, Nwankwo et al 47 reported a 5-year follow-up of a distal tibia 3D-printed cage used for severe bone loss secondary to trauma, which is currently the longest known follow-up of a 3D-printed custom implant. In addition, 3D-printed custom talar prostheses have been increasingly used in the treatment of talar osteonecrosis. Total talus replacement with a 3D implant restores talar height and talar tilt while preserving the range of motion and normal alignment in unaffected joints. 48 , 49 In addition, custom 3D-printed implants have been commonly used after the excision of primary and metastatic bone lesions. 50 , 51 , 52 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56

Patient-specific custom implants have become desirable alternatives to standard implants in TKA and total hip arthroplasty procedures. Custom implants have been shown to provide improved rotational alignment and tibial fit. 57 Furthermore, compared with those treated with off-the-shelf implants, patients with custom implants have lost less blood, reported fewer adverse events, and were less likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation or acute care facility. 58 , 59

Spine surgery has implemented 3D-printed patient-specific implants for complex spinal pathology with significant structural deformities, as in cases of neoplasia, degenerative disease, infection, trauma, and congenital anomalies. A systematic review evaluating the efficacy and safety of 3D-printed implants for spine surgery compared with off-the-shelf implants found that all included studies that reported clinical outcomes showed significant postoperative improvements. 60 Several authors of articles included in this review commented on the significant commitment that 3D-printed spine implants require—there exist a large amount of preoperative work and requirements for specialized design, manufacturing equipment, and personnel that should be recognized before use. 60 Surgeon involvement in the process is paramount, and they must work closely with the 3D printing company to design the implant. In addition to these intensive time and labor requirements, customized implants can accrue significant financial costs. A careful discussion with the hospital, patient, and insurance company regarding the financial burden of using custom implants is critical.

Bioprinting/Four-dimensional Printing

Three-dimensional printing technology has advanced rapidly, and several researchers are working on technology to print customized human tissue and organs. Known officially as 3D bioprinting, this process distributes cells, biomaterials, and supporting biological factors in a layer-by-layer fashion to form living tissues and organ analogs. 61 , 62 To make this possible, the medium for printing is composed of inert material that can support live cells. Examples include hydrogels, microcarriers, tissue spheroids, cell pellet, tissue strands, and decellularized matrix components. The optimal medium must be stable, nontoxic, nonimmunogenic, biocompatible, and allow for cellular survival and proliferation. 62 , 63 The metamorphosis to human tissue or organ analog is accomplished via droplet, extrusion, or laser-based methods. This process facilitates precise control of the microarchitecture and macroarchitecture of the final product, both of which are essential to the function of biologic tissues. These 3D products still face many challenges: growing the correct number of functioning cells, reaching the appropriate cell density, and retaining viability throughout the printing process, but its future potential could revolutionize regenerative medicine. 64

Cartilage Bioprinting

Surgical management for articular cartilage injuries vary depending on the location, size of the lesions, and patient factors. 65 - 67 Although appropriately selected and performed surgical options can have good clinical results, they fail to fully restore the damaged cartilage tissue. Most restorative techniques create a form of functional cartilage; however, it is not the same as healthy articular cartilage at a molecular level. 66 , 68 Three-dimensional bioprinting presents an alternative solution as the ability to print native cartilage would be groundbreaking in the management of cartilage defects and arthritis. Although most works on 3D bioprinting cartilage have been performed in vitro, in vivo animal studies have shown promise. Three-dimensional cartilage cells were implanted into rabbit models of cartilage defects and were found to demonstrate early cartilage formation and osteochondral integration. 69 , 70 Moreover, a recent systematic review evaluating the published data surrounding bioprinted articular cartilage endorsed the potential of this technology for use in humans. 71

Bone Bioprinting

Bone possesses a unique set of mechanical and structural properties that is challenging to recreate artificially, and advances in 3D bioprinting could aid in bone formation and growth. Scaffolds are an essential technology for both bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as they provide the substrate where cells can attach, proliferate, and differentiate into bone. Important characteristics to consider are biocompatibility, biodegradability, microstructure, and osteoconductivity. With the advent of 3D printing, it has become easier to control the microstructure, which is critical to cell viability and osseous ingrowth. 72 Furthermore, the material of the scaffold is integral to maintaining cell viability and facilitating osteogenic differentiation. 61

Calcium phosphate is one of the most commonly used materials for 3D-printed bone scaffolds and has gained attention for its superior biodegradability. Ogose et al 73 reported that nearly all of the tricalcium phosphate implanted in bone defects after the excision of bone tumors were absorbed and replaced with newly formed bone, whereas HA did not demonstrate any biodegradation.

The bioprinting process is a threat to the viability of the cells because they must endure the pressure and shear stress of the printing process and then manage to migrate and proliferate appropriately while receiving sufficient blood supply. 74 For this reason, long-term viability of bioprinted cells has become a major concern, yet 3D bioprinting remains an exciting new technology that has countless applications for orthopaedic surgeons.

Four-dimensional Printing

Four-dimensional (4D) printing uses the same set of technologies as 3D printing but adds in one more dimension by allowing the printed part to change shape over time in response to a specific environment. Although similar to 3D bioprinting, this process uses smart materials to create self-reconfigurable proteins, tissue, and organs. 75 Four-dimensional printed objects can self-repair or self-assemble by changing or reshaping their parts in response to varying environmental conditions (eg, temperature, pH, magnetic field, and solvent interaction). For example, photothermal-responsive shape memory bone tissue engineering scaffolds were constructed and exposed to near-infrared radiation before implantation so that they could be easily molded and configured into a bony defect. After implantation, the temperature rapidly decreased to 37 degrees Celsius, at which temperature the scaffold displayed mechanical properties analogous to those of cancellous bone. This method was successful in treating irregularly sized rat cranial bone defects with improved new bone formation observed. 76

Three-dimensional printing is an exciting technology that is pervasive in every major industry. This rapidly advancing field has created access to almost limitless 3D structures created from a growing variety of materials, including metals, plastics, and even living cells. The benefits of 3D printing include extreme flexibility to customize shapes, increased intricacy/complexity of manufactured products, elimination of assembly steps, and waste and inventory reduction.

In general, disadvantages of 3D printing are similar to those of any new technology and include cost and lack of data, both of which are important to the economically strapped and litigious medical field regarding custom medical implants. However, patient-specific 3D-printed implants offer a new technology to successfully treat a variety of pathologies in orthopaedic surgery. Three-dimensional printing technology will continue to advance and improve patient care and satisfaction.

Dr. Adams or an immediate family member has stock options in Restor3D and 4Web. None of the following authors or any immediate family member has received anything of value from or has stock or stock options held in a commercial company or institution related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article: Ms. Wixted, Dr. Peterson, and Dr. Kadakia.

case study 3d printing medical

  • Feb 14, 2022

7 Stunning Use Cases For 3D Printing In Medical Field

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is revolutionizing the medical industry over the past decade. Medical professionals are utilizing 3D printing technology to develop new medical tools, orthopedic implants, and prosthetics as well as the customized replicas of tissues, bones and organs.

3D printed hip implant with novel biomaterial that has excellent biocompatibility and promotes bone healing

3D printed hip implant with new generation of biomaterial that has excellent biocompatibility and promotes bone healing.

Table of Contents

Rising of 3D printing in medical field

Benefits of 3D printing for patient and doctors

Real-life applications of 3D printing in medical field

Let's get started with medical 3D printing

Rising of 3D Printing in Medical Field

According to the Global Market Insights, healthcare 3D printing market size was valued at over USD 1.7 billion in 2020 and is estimated to expand with a CAGR of more than 22.3% between 2021 and 2027.

case study 3d printing medical

North America dominates the market for healthcare 3D printing possessing 40% of the market’s shares, valued for over USD 701.4 million. Credit: Global Market Insights

The increasing support for quality control and safety measures from FDA is largely driving the industry development in North America. Additionally, a higher intensity of research and development activities is noted in North America by academic institutions as well as manufacturers.

Benefits of 3D Printing for Patients and Doctors

Personalized healthcare.

case study 3d printing medical

Shapeshift production process for customized wearables. Credit: 3D Natives

With recent technology and material advance, additive manufacturing allows for the design and print of more complex designs and material options than conventional manufacturing method. Healthcare professionals can now easily create customized medical tools and implants that are perfectly adapted to a patient’s anatomy, or a specific surgery.

The better fit of prosthetics and implants can drastically reduce the chance of infection, provide pain-free functions and speed up the recovery process.

Fast Design and Production

Traditional prosthetics and implants can take weeks to design and manufacture, especially if they are custom made for a patient.

With 3D printing techniques, healthcare professionals can design and print the object in-house on a professional 3D printer within a few days (and sometimes even less), which is much faster than molded or machine parts.

This could significantly reduce patients’ waiting time and lower the chances of complications that may occur as a result of delayed or unavailable medical devices.

Increase Cost Efficient

3D printing provides patients with affordable tailor-made prostheses and implants that are so expensive in traditional manufacturing processes. There is also no need to make any specialized tooling, jigs or fixtures, and there are no minimum volume requirements.

The entire process – from scanning, to 3D modeling and printing – can be performed simply by a single person and an inexpensive desktop 3D printer, saving time, labor, and money.

Real-life Applications of 3D printing in medical field

1. 3d anatomical models for surgical planning.

Surgeons performed a tumor removal surgery with great success after planning and rehearsing with a 3D printed organ replica

Tumor removal surgery performed with 3D planning at SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital. Credit: SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital

In 2013, SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital used 3D printing to plan the first-ever complex cancer surgery in a 5-year-old boy with great success. The boy was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer develops in nerve tissues. To remove the tumor without endangering the patient’s life, surgeons had to skillfully avoid cutting the blood vessels and surrounding organs.

After two unsuccessful attempts, the team created a life-sized, 3D printed replica of the boy's tumor using materials with texture similar to the organs. Using the 3D model, surgeons carefully analyzed the anatomical relationships of tumor, vessels and organs and simulated the highly complex tumor excision. After rehearsing for more than a week, the surgeons successfully removed the tumor from the boy’s body. And the boy was expected to fully recover without additional surgeries.

Since then, 3D technology has been implemented by the hospital professionals in around 100 surgeries since 2017 to plan complex surgical procedures, create cutting guides and surgical tools, design patient specific prostheses and implants. Currently, 3D printing has been rolled out to other specialists in the Hospital including traumatology, maxillofacial surgery, cancer surgery, neurosurgery, cardiology, plastic surgery and dental surgery.

2. Prosthetic limb

scientists introduced an affordable way to create custom fit leg socket for patient using 3d printing

Prosthetic socket is tailored to fit the leg of each patient using 3D technology. Credit: University of Toronto Scientific Instruments Collection

There are more than 57.7 million people living with limb loss worldwide. While prosthetic devices can help patients getting around more easily, they remain too expensive and uncomfortable. The problem has become even more obvious in children with limb loss – they outgrow prosthetics quickly and require frequent replacement. It costs an average of USD 80,000 per limb to keep a child outfitted with an appropriate prosthetic.

Using 3D printing technology, the University of Toronto introduced a low-cost, time-saving way to produce custom fit leg socket for children . The process is simple: a technician scan the residual limb, model a socket based on the 3D scanned data, and press "print". After 6 to 9 hours, a socket that is designed specifically for the patient will be ready.

3. Mass Production of Emergency Medical Supplies

A high school student developed a 3D print design for mass production of finger splint in a minute.

3D printed finger splint designed by Ian McHale for temporary stabilization of a finger or joint after an injury. Credit: Thingiverse

Ian McHale, a senior at Steinert High School in United States, developed a design for producing finger splint on a low-end 3D printer in about 10 minutes for less than USD 2 cents of recycled plastic .

McHale understood the difficulties for developing countries in ordering large supplies from overseas, let alone custom splints. That’s why McHale decided to design 3D printed finger splints that were more affordable and readily available. Depending on the platform size, 30 – 40 splints could be printed in a single run. This splint design is also beneficial to clinics, remote hospitals and first-aid posts when supplies run low or special medical tools are required.

McHale’s design won the first prize in his division at the Mercer Science and Engineering Fair and was awarded by the United States Army and Air Force. He believed with a 3D printer, splints can be created on an individual basis and modified to fit various finger sizes. Currently, his design of the 3D printed finger splints is available for free downloading at Thingiverse and he invites people to design their personalized finger splints.

4. Bone Replacement

A China hospital 3D printed an artificial bone with PEEK instead of titanium alloy in a bone replacement surgery

The KMU Hospital 3D printed an artificial collarbone (clavicle) using PEEK instead of traditional titanium alloy for bone replacement. Source: 3Dnatives

In 2018, the medical team at Kunming Medical University Hospital (KMU Hospital) in China, in collaboration with the 3D printer company IEMAI 3D, successfully transplanted the world's first 3D printed PEEK collarbone . This was performed on a 57-year-old man with advance cancer whose collarbone had to be cut off to remove cancer cells from affected tissues and organs.

To fix the collarbone after resection, doctors at KMU Hospital decided to use a PEEK prosthesis instead of using the traditional titanium mesh – as it won’t affect the patient's later treatment with chemotherapy. PEEK also guarantees faster recovery and demonstrates no side effects to patients.

The introduction of PEEK, ULTEM, PMMA and other thermoplastics to the medical field is opening the way for more patients to undergo implant surgery, as it would not affect their possible future treatments.

5. Skull Reconstruction

A girl with brain tumor had her skull reconstructed with a 3d printed cranial implant.

Tiffany Cullern underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor and had her skull constructed with a 3D printed skull implant after complications. Source: All3DP

Tiffany Cullern, a 20-year-old girl in Britain, had her skull reconstructed with a 3D printed skull plate .

The young girl suffered from a extremely rare brain tumor. The tumor was a size of a golf ball and kept growing. While surgeons were able to removed the tumor, Cullern was unresponsive with her brain swelled after the surgery. Surgeons could only undergo another operation to remove her skull in order to relive pressure. Since doctors were unsure whether Cullern’s brain would swell again, they leave her skull out until the condition was stable.

Leaving the head with a hand-sized hole for 3 months, Cullern was finally implanted with a 3D printed skull piece made of titanium, plastic, and calcium. She recently got engaged to her boyfriend and is thankful to have her head back to normal and is happy to move on in her life.

6. Human Corneas

Dr Steve Swioklo and Prof Che Connon successfully 3D printed the world’s first human cornea. Credit: Newcastle University

In 2018, the first human corneas was 3D printed by scientists at Newcastle University in United Kingdom.

The researchers worked by mixing healthy corneal stems cells with alginate and collagen to create a printable solution – “bio-ink”. Using a simple 3D bio-printer, the bio-ink was successfully extruded to form the shape of a human cornea in less than 10 minutes.

3D printed corneas were designed according to patient’s unique specifications. By scanning a patient’s eye, researchers could use the data to rapidly print a cornea which matched the size and shape.

Although the 3D printed corneas still require further testing before they are usable for transplant, the scientists at Newcastle University believed 3D printed corneas could relieve the global shortage of donor corneas in near future.

7. Heart Valves

scientists 3D printed a living heart valve that possess the same anatomical structure as native valve

A 3D printed artificial heart valve. Source: 3D Printing Indutry

Jonathan Butcher and his team at Cornell University pioneered 3D tissue printing technology to create living heart valves that possess the same anatomical structure as native valve.

To precisely produce an artificial valve, Butcher’s team had developed algorithms that process 3D image datasets of a native valve and automatically form the full 3D model of the heart valve. Bio-printing is then conducted in a dual syringe system with a mixture of alginate/gelatin hydrogel, smooth muscle cells and valve interstitial cells to mimic the structure of the valve root and leaflets.

Butcher believed bioprinting would gain much more traction in the tissue engineering and biomedical community over the coming years. The patient-specific tissue models would help healthcare professionals in learning disease pathogenesis and screening drug efficacy, or making living tissue replacements tailored directly to patient geometry.

Time to Get Started with Medical 3D Printing!

It is obvious that the trend of using 3D printing in medical field will keep growing, and it is time for us to utilize it to improve patient care.

If you find too complicated to start everything on your own, you can consider consulting with experienced companies. Novus provides medical grade 3D printing filament and 3D printing services for hospitals, researchers and vets.

Contact our expert advisors today at [email protected] for a free consultation.

  • 3D Printing

Related Posts

3D Printing In Medical: What Is It? And Why Is It Important?

Choosing 3D Printing Materials for Different Medical Applications

Signup for news & special offers!

Thank you for subscription!

You can cancel your subscription at any time.

  • 3D Printing Service

The Javelin Blog

Article by Kelly Clancy updated June 22, 2017

Use the power of 3D printing’s speed and precision to streamline your medical device development . Nidek Technologies , developer of ophthalmological diagnostic systems, leveraged this technology to accelerate prototyping and clinical trials.

Continue reading to learn about Nidek’s success and find out how 3D printing is a key factor in reducing their time to market.

medical 3d printing

A Vision for Better Prototyping

Nidek Technologies (Nidek), located in Padova, Italy, specializes in the development and prototyping of high-technology ophthalmological diagnostic systems. With all of its products having direct contact with patients, it’s crucial that Nidek produces fully-functional prototypes that precisely replicate the final product. This enables a comprehensive evaluation of the fit, form and function of new devices before investing in expensive clinical trials and moving to final production. As this process often proved costly in terms of lead-time and capital, Nidek Technologies turned to Stratasys 3D printing in a bid to optimize its prototyping process and, as a result, accelerate its clinical validation.

medical 3d printing

Accelerating Time-to-Market with 3D Printing

This was demonstrated in a recent project which saw Nidek Technologies produce a new automatic Gonioscope, a device designed to observe the space between the iris and cornea. Typically, the R&D team would create the prototypes using traditional manufacturing with expensive injection molds or use CNC machines to create the individual device components. This led to escalating lead-times and, should iterations be required, substantially increased prototyping costs.

As a solution to overcome these barriers, Nidek Technologies invested in a Stratasys Objet500 Connex3 3D Printer . “Our prototyping process has become much more streamlined since incorporating Stratasys 3D printing into our workflow,” says Cesare Tanassi, CEO at Nidek Technologies. “The technology enables us to develop complex parts with intricate geometries on-demand. The ability to validate designs early in the product development cycle helps us eliminate costly iterations during manufacturing, as well as significantly reducing our time-to-market compared to traditional prototyping methods.”

medical 3d printing

Deploying 3D Printed Devices Into Clinical Trials

According to Tanassi, waiting for production parts to conduct clinical evaluations creates costly delays. “Previously we were constrained by the time restrictions associated with traditional manufacturing. 3D printing overcomes these bottlenecks and permits us to quickly enter our devices into clinical trials. As you can imagine, fully verifying our products is crucial to ensuring that premium healthcare is maintained,” he explains. “In the case of the Gonioscope, the quality of the Stratasys 3D printed components saw the device pass a year-long clinical trial where eight global medical centers examined it. It will soon be utilized by clinics and hospitals around the globe, contributing to a novel way to diagnose glaucoma.”

Replacing Metal Parts with Durable Engineered Photopolymers

Beyond the Gonioscope, the benefits of 3D printing are impacting numerous other products. According to Federico Carraro, Mechanical Division Manager at Nidek Technologies, this occurred when developing the company’s microperimeter, a device used to determine the level of light perceived by specific areas of the retina.

Previously Nidek used metal fabrication for this device, which took around two months to create and dramatically delayed the prototyping cycle. “With our Stratasys Objet500 Connex3, we can combine a wide range of 3D printed materials with contrasting mechanical characteristics. This allows us to accurately emulate final parts, including threads, seals, rubber and transparent components. In this case, we achieved the same functional result within 24 hours by replacing metal parts with robust 3D printed components,” explains Carraro.

In the case of the Gonioscope, utilizing the tough flexibility and snap-fit characteristic of the Stratasys Rigur 3D printing material, we could replace several aluminum parts with a single 3D printed component. The ability to quickly 3D print high quality parts that require no post-processing has proven instrumental in cutting our iterations and directly reducing our product development cycle. In fact, since introducing Stratasys 3D printing, we have slashed our prototyping costs by 75% and accelerated our development time by 50% .

Clear Case for Transparent 3D Printed Parts

Nidek Technologies is now pioneering a new proprietary polishing process for its prototype illumination lenses. Traditionally the development of lenses requires several months of build time and cost thousands of Euros per lens. Concludes Tanassi, “In the future, with the VeroClear material , we may quickly 3D print prototype lenses with high clarity and smooth surface finish devoted to our illumination optics. We used a proprietary robotic polishing process for our 3D printed lenses.”

medical 3d printing

The versatility of Connex3 PolyJet materials gives Nidek Technologies the tools to quickly overcome multiple challenges throughout the product development process. From ideation, to iterating prototypes, to clinical evaluation, 3D printing drives innovation, improves product design, saves cost and reduces product development time.

Related Links

Want to get started with 3d printing.

Our 3D Printing resources can help you to:

Posts related to 'Medical Case Study: Accelerate Time-to-Market with 3D Printing'

Find related content by tag:.

' src=

Kelly Clancy

Try our 3d printing service.

Get your 3D Model Printed and shipped to you

  • Alzheimer's disease & dementia
  • Arthritis & Rheumatism
  • Attention deficit disorders
  • Autism spectrum disorders
  • Biomedical technology
  • Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
  • Endocrinology & Metabolism
  • Gastroenterology
  • Gerontology & Geriatrics
  • Health informatics
  • Inflammatory disorders
  • Medical economics
  • Medical research
  • Medications
  • Neuroscience
  • Obstetrics & gynaecology
  • Oncology & Cancer
  • Ophthalmology
  • Overweight & Obesity
  • Parkinson's & Movement disorders
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Radiology & Imaging
  • Sleep disorders
  • Sports medicine & Kinesiology
  • Vaccination
  • Breast cancer
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Colon cancer
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Heart attack
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Kidney disease
  • Lung cancer
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Myocardial infarction
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Post traumatic stress disorder
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Schizophrenia
  • Skin cancer
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Full List »

share this!

February 22, 2024 feature

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

trusted source

3D-printable tissue adhesive sets a new standard in biomedical technology

by Tejasri Gururaj , Medical Xpress

MIT's 3D-printable adhesive sets a new standard in biomedical technology

Researchers from MIT have developed a 3D-printable tissue adhesive that demonstrates superior tissue adhesion, rapid sealing capabilities across various surgical scenarios and a unique blood-repelling feature. The technology holds immense potential for revolutionizing wound care and biomedical device applications.

The research has been published in Nature Communications .

Tissue adhesives provide alternatives to traditional wound closure methods like sutures and staples, offering advantages such as reduced tissue trauma, quicker application, and potentially minimized scarring.

Despite the effectiveness of traditional adhesives, their time-consuming, skill-dependent application and patient discomfort have prompted the quest for innovative solutions.

For instance, they might be less effective in sealing irregularly shaped or highly mobile tissues. Moreover, the application of traditional adhesives can be labor intensive, leading to extended surgical times. Additionally, these methods may cause tissue damage , and the materials themselves might not always integrate seamlessly with the body.

Innovations in tissue adhesives aim to overcome these drawbacks by providing more versatile, efficient, and patient-friendly solutions. The development of 3D printable tissue adhesives, as showcased in the MIT research, introduces a new dimension to wound closure and tissue repair.

Medical Xpress spoke to the first author of the study Sarah Wu, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, working under the supervision of Professor Xuanhe Zhao. She said, "Our research group has been interested in developing tissue adhesive materials due to their potential to atraumatically seal and repair wounds.

"As a mechanical engineer , I've also been fascinated by 3D printing and the manufacturing versatility it provides. Thinking about the possibilities that 3D printable tissue adhesive could enable, such as customized patches and soft bio-integrated devices, motivated us to explore new material solutions."

Components and fabrication of the tissue adhesive

"Our research focused on developing a 3D printable tissue adhesive capable of creating custom-sealing patches and devices," said Wu.

The researchers formulated a tissue adhesive ink comprising poly(acrylic acid) grafted to polyurethane. This unique composition is crucial for providing strong adhesion to tissues, with specific chemical functional groups responsible for forming a secure bond with biological tissues.

To enhance its functionality, the team incorporated a blood-repelling hydrophobic matrix into the adhesive structure. The matrix acts as a protective barrier, crucial for preventing direct contact with bodily fluids and maintaining the adhesive's integrity, particularly in challenging conditions such as those found in bleeding tissues.

The intricate process commences with precision, as the tissue adhesive ink is 3D printed onto a hydrophobic-coated glass slide, creating a pattern with circular void spaces for electrodes. This coating plays a critical role in ensuring the adhesive's effectiveness, especially in the presence of bodily fluids.

A polyurethane-based insulator layer is then printed over the adhesive layer. This insulator layer enhances the adhesive's functionality and stability during application.

Following this, the researchers used silver conductive ink to 3D print electrodes and circuitry onto the structure. This step showcases the multifunctionality of the adhesive, allowing for the potential integration of electronic components if required for specific applications.

The researchers also added light-emitting diodes to the circuit using a small amount of silver ink. This addition vividly demonstrates the adhesive's versatility, suggesting potential applications in bio-integrated devices.

The fabricated bioelectronic patch is then adhered to an ex vivo porcine heart, and a power source is employed to run a current through the tissue, confirming the illumination of the LEDs and underscoring the bioelectronic capabilities of the adhesive.

With systematic precision, the researchers applied the fabricated patches to different tissue defects, subjecting them to a battery of tests. These include adhesion characterization, rheological and mechanical assessments, and biocompatibility studies conducted through a series of in vivo experiments on rats.

MIT's 3D-printable adhesive sets a new standard in biomedical technology

Unique feature: Blood-repellent infusion

The 3D printable tissue adhesive demonstrated remarkable superiority in tissue adhesion performance compared to existing commercial products. This achievement is underscored by its rapid tissue-sealing capabilities across various surgical scenarios.

During the research, an unexpected breakthrough emerged—the potential to infuse the adhesive with a blood-repellent fluid.

"The potential to infuse the porous structure of our printed adhesive with a blood-repellent fluid enabled adhesion even to heavily bleeding tissues. Most tissue adhesive materials commonly fail in bloody environments, making it difficult to achieve hemostasis," explained Wu.

The use of a protective hydrophobic matrix further enhanced the adhesive's functionality, creating a barrier that shields it from bodily fluids, crucial for maintaining its integrity, especially in challenging bleeding scenarios.

The blood-repellent infusion, a transformative feature, positions their 3D printable tissue adhesive at the forefront of biomedical materials. It addresses common challenges faced by existing adhesives in environments with significant blood flow, opening doors to diverse applications from wound closure to potential bio-integrated devices.

The bioadhesive, 3D-printed tissue patches showcased remarkable strength and toughness across multiple tissues. Mechanical tests demonstrated their resilience to shear forces, burst pressures and tensile loads, indicating suitability in diverse physiological environments.

Biocompatibility studies confirmed their safety, with minimal cytotoxicity observed, and in vivo models, including trachea, colon, liver, and femoral artery repairs, show successful adhesion and integration into the surrounding tissue.

Micro-CT imaging provided quantitative insights into tissue regeneration post-surgery, establishing the robustness and effectiveness of these patches.

Tissue-interfacing devices and tissue-repair solutions

The capabilities of the 3D printable tissue adhesive could not only revolutionize wound closure but also hint at expansive applications in various tissue-interfacing devices.

Wu explained, "Due to its versatile manufacturing capabilities, our 3D printable adhesive could be utilized in a range of biomedical devices, including sensors and drug delivery systems.

"For instance, it may enhance the stability of bio-integrated sensors by providing a reliable interface for signal transfer. Similarly, it can facilitate localized drug delivery to tissues."

The researchers hope to focus on soft tissue–interfacing device development, with the adhesive as a pivotal component, in the future.

"Leveraging the 3D printability of our material opens up exciting possibilities for designing patches with tissue-specific properties, paving the way for more personalized tissue-repair solutions," concluded Wu.

© 2024 Science X Network

Explore further

Feedback to editors

case study 3d printing medical

Researchers create more realistic synthetic human mini hearts

Feb 24, 2024

case study 3d printing medical

New brain stimulation technique shows promise for treating brain disorders

Feb 23, 2024

case study 3d printing medical

New research shows babies use immune system differently, but efficiently

case study 3d printing medical

Research finds relaxing words heard during sleep can slow the heart down

case study 3d printing medical

New research challenges conventional picture of Parkinson's disease

case study 3d printing medical

Chemotherapy method uses patient's own cells as trojan horse to direct cancer-killing drugs to tumors

case study 3d printing medical

Study: 'Hexaplex' vaccine aims to boost flu protection

case study 3d printing medical

Model suggests increased use of Paxlovid could cut hospitalizations, deaths and costs

case study 3d printing medical

Early-life airborne lead exposure associated with lower IQ and self-control: Study

case study 3d printing medical

Genetic signature may predict response to immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer

Related stories.

case study 3d printing medical

Researchers use mussel-derived proteins to develop customized underwater bio-adhesive patches

Feb 13, 2024

case study 3d printing medical

New frontier in biomedical engineering: Protein coacervates engineered into adhesive for unprecedented skin repair speed

Sep 29, 2023

case study 3d printing medical

Scientists develop new hydrogels for wound management

Nov 6, 2023

case study 3d printing medical

Inspired by mussels: Printable adhesives for tissues and bones

Dec 1, 2023

case study 3d printing medical

Programmable hydrogels could herald a new era in wound care

Feb 12, 2024

case study 3d printing medical

Innovative gel offers new hope for treating gastrointestinal leaks

Nov 30, 2023

Recommended for you

case study 3d printing medical

New tool for assessing diarrhea-related dehydration is built for global deployment

case study 3d printing medical

Researchers use deep brain stimulation to map therapeutic targets for four brain disorders

Feb 22, 2024

case study 3d printing medical

Alzheimer's blood test found to perform as well as FDA-approved spinal fluid tests

case study 3d printing medical

Can your smartwatch improve treatment for depression?

Let us know if there is a problem with our content.

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Medical Xpress in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter

IMAGES

  1. Bioprinting: A Guide to 3D Printed Body Parts

    case study 3d printing medical

  2. Guide to 3D Printing Medical Devices

    case study 3d printing medical

  3. Case Study: Why Hospitals Need 3D Printers

    case study 3d printing medical

  4. 3D Printing of Medical Devices at the Point of Care

    case study 3d printing medical

  5. 3D Printing in medical field

    case study 3d printing medical

  6. 3D Printing in Medicine

    case study 3d printing medical

COMMENTS

  1. The Role of 3D Printing in Medical Applications: A State of the Art

    1. Introduction Among the different manufacturing processes that are currently adopted by the industry, the 3D printing is an additive technique. It is a process through which a three-dimensional solid object, virtually of any shape, is generated starting from a digital model. Medical 3D printing was once an ambitious pipe dream.

  2. Case Studies

    Customer testimonials on how medical 3D printing helps surgical planning and patient outcomes. Solutions. 3D Visualization 3D Mesh File 3D Print-Ready File 3D Printed Anatomical Models. ... Case Study. Medical 3D model saves crucial time in heart transplant surgery for a patient with congenital heart disease.

  3. Medical 3D Printing: Applications, Advantages, and Future Outlook

    Medical 3D printing involves the use of computer-aided design (CAD) and three-dimensional printing technology to create intricate and precise medical devices, implants, anatomical models, and even pharmaceuticals.

  4. Scenarios for 3D printing of personalized medicines

    Abstract Background 3D printing is a promising new technology for medicines' production. It employs additive manufacturing techniques, and is ideal for producing personalized medicines (e.g., patient-tailored dose, dosage form, drug release kinetics). Objective

  5. Clinical applications of custom 3D printed implants in complex lower

    Foot and ankle reconstruction is often complicated by multiplanar deformity and bone loss. 3D printing technology offers solutions to these complex cases with customized implants that conform to anatomy and patient specific instrumentation that enables precise deformity correction. Case presentation

  6. 5 Innovative Use Cases for 3D Printing in Medicine

    3D Printing in Healthcare 1. Patient-Specific Surgical Models 3D printed anatomical models from patient scan data are becoming increasingly useful tools in today's practice of personalized, precision medicine.

  7. The Role of 3D Printing in Medical Applications: A State of the Art

    3D Printing The Role of 3D Printing in Medical Applications: A State of the Art Journal of Healthcare Engineering DOI: License CC BY Authors: Anna Aimar Augusto Palermo Bernardo Innocenti...

  8. Articles

    Correction: Navigating the intersection of 3D printing, software regulation and quality control for point-of-care manufacturing of personalized anatomical models. Naomi C. Paxton. 3D Printing in Medicine 2023 9 :31. Correction Published on: 17 November 2023.

  9. Challenges in the design and regulatory approval of 3D-printed surgical

    Patient-specific treatment approaches incorporating 3D-printed implants can be helpful in carefully selected cases when conventional methods are not an option. Comprehensive and efficient interactions between medical engineers and physicians are essential to establish well designed frameworks to navigate the logistical and regulatory aspects of technology development to ensure the safety and ...

  10. Guide to 3D Printing Medical Devices

    This guide aims to help the user decide on the best method of silicone part production for their intended use, and provides step-by-step instructions for both printing with Silicone 40A, and molding silicone using SLA 3D printed tooling (including two-part injection molds, overmolds, and compression molds).

  11. 3D Printing of Prototypes Starting from Medical Imaging: A Liver Case Study

    3D printing FDM Liver disease Download conference paper PDF 1 Introduction In 2017, the number of adults diagnosed with liver disease was, approximately 4.5 million in USA [ 1 ], that means that 1.8% of adults have been diagnosed with liver disease. In many cases, surgery is a procedure widely used for facing a variety of liver pathologies [ 2 ].

  12. Medtronic Utilizes Stratasys 3D Printing Solutions

    Medtronic utilizes Stratasys 3D Printing Solutions for medical tools. They create working functional prototypes and improve tool designs. USA & Canada Select your country and region. Americas; ... Download Case Study. Download How can we help you? Stratasys US & Canada Call 1-800-801-6491;

  13. Three-dimensional Printing in Orthopaedic Surgery: Current Applications

    Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an exciting form of manufacturing technology that has transformed the way we can treat various medical pathologies. Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing fuses materials together in a layer-by-layer fashion to construct a final 3D product.

  14. 7 Stunning Use Cases For 3D Printing In Medical Field

    1. 3D Anatomical Models for Surgical Planning Tumor removal surgery performed with 3D planning at SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital. Credit: SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital In 2013, SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital used 3D printing to plan the first-ever complex cancer surgery in a 5-year-old boy with great success.

  15. SJD Children's Hospital Embraces 3D Printing

    The potential for 3D printing synthetic myocardium. 3D printing has incredible applications in the future of cardiac surgery and medical devices. This case study about the potential of 3D printing synthetic myocardium is a perfect example. View more

  16. What Is Medical 3D Printing—and How Is it Regulated?

    FDA does not regulate 3D printers themselves; instead, FDA regulates the medical products made via 3D printing. The type of regulatory review required depends on the kind of product being made, the intended use of the product, and the potential risks posed to patients. Devices—the most common type of product made using 3D printing at this ...

  17. Medical Case Study: Accelerate Time-to-Market with 3D Printing

    "In the case of the Gonioscope, the quality of the Stratasys 3D printed components saw the device pass a year-long clinical trial where eight global medical centers examined it. It will soon be utilized by clinics and hospitals around the globe, contributing to a novel way to diagnose glaucoma."

  18. The Role of 3D Printing in Medical Applications: A State of the Art

    Three-dimensional (3D) printing refers to a number of manufacturing technologies that generate a physical model from digital information. Medical 3D printing was once an ambitious pipe dream. However, time and investment made it real. Nowadays, the 3D printing technology represents a big opportunity to help pharmaceutical and medical companies to create more specific drugs, enabling a rapid ...

  19. 3D Printing Project to Advance Medical Device Customization

    This webinar will provide real-world case studies from injection molders, toolmakers, contract manufacturers and OEMs with data on how they implemented metal 3D printing to print injection mold tooling. ... (Penn State) and Actuated Medical Inc. is developing new methods of 3D printing medical devices such as noninvasive ventilation masks to ...

  20. 3D-printable tissue adhesive sets a new standard in ...

    Medical Xpress spoke to the first author of the study Sarah Wu, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, working under the supervision of Professor Xuanhe Zhao ...

  21. Osteopore (OSX.AX) on Instagram: "Osteopore (OSX.AX)'s regenerative

    0 likes, 0 comments - osteopore on February 22, 2024: "Osteopore (OSX.AX)'s regenerative medicine journey is showcased in the latest RSM Australia indus..."