www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

US EUROPE AFRICA ASIA 中文
Business / Review

Printed bones

By Liu Zhihua (China Daily) Updated: 2013-08-14 07:40

 Printed bones

A 3-D printed medical implant is displayed at Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing. More than 50 patients have used dozens of such implants. Photos by Zhu Xingxin / China Daily

 Printed bones

The 3-D printed artificial vertebral bodies are used in human bodies for the first time in the world.

Peking University Third Hospital has recently announced that its new 3-D printed orthopedic implants have produced good results in clinical trials. Liu Zhihua takes a closer look at the new technology.

Using a printer to produce medical implants, body parts and living organs may sound like science fiction, but it is not.

Scientists in a few countries, such as the United States, have used 3-D printing, a process of laying down successive layers of material in different shapes to make a three-dimensional solid object, according to a digital model.

The 3-D objects are used in three ways: for surgery simulation, to produce lifesaving medical implants and artificial body parts, and to create living tissues and organs for drug testing.

In China, Peking University Third Hospital recently announced its orthopedics department had produced a new type of orthopedic implants using a 3-D printer. The implants have produced good results during clinical trials.

"We started the clinical trial to test those implants last year, and all the patients participating in the trial are recovering well," says Liu Zhongjun, director with the department.

Cooperating with a Beijing medical device company that owns an imported 3-D printer, the hospital has produced dozens of hip replacements and artificial vertebral bodies. To date, more than 50 volunteer patients have tried the implants.

The test is the first time that 3-D printed artificial vertebral bodies are used in human bodies in the medical world, although artificial vertebral bodies have been used in orthopedic surgeries for years, Liu says.

The material is nothing new. The hospital uses titanium powder to print, a special metal that has been applied to make body implants for decades.

But the shapes of the 3-D products are very different from traditional ones, in a positive sense, Liu says.

Orthopedic implants are widely used for patients suffering from bone damage caused by injuries or diseases. They are inserted into joints and bones to restore normal functions, such as spine implants to help anchor the spine.

But because of the limits of traditional manufacturing methods, the shapes of orthopedic implants are usually geometric patterns, and as a result, they cannot attach to bones firmly without additional cement, screws and fixing plates.

Printed bones

The 3-D printing, instead, is able to print titanium powder into any shapes, as long as the computer that controls the printer has a digital model to follow.

"In another word, the 3-D printed orthopedic implants can match better with bones around them than traditional ones," Liu explains.

Besides, the tiny pores of the new implants, another feature of the 3-D device, enable bones to grow into the implants, Liu adds.

Liu's team launched the program in 2009. The hospital provided designing know-how, and the medical device company digitalized the design.

In mid-2010, they started trials on sheep, and in 2012, the team got permission from health authorities for human trials.

A woman surnamed Huang, became the first patient for the clinical trial.

The 54-year-old Beijing resident had suffered from severe dizziness and stiffness in limbs caused by cervical spondylosis, a degenerative condition of the cervical spine.

In September 2012, Huang heard about 3-D printing, and decided to use the new 3-D printed artificial vertebral bodies.

"I see it as a good opportunity to experience new technology," she says.

Within a few days after the surgery, Huang's symptoms disappeared. Her quarterly checks have shown positive recovery results.

Lyu Chao, 32, is the latest patient to benefit from the technology.

Before his surgery in July, his fingers, knees and lower legs often felt numb, and he could not walk or run fast.

Lyu is the 20th volunteer. The hospital plans to have at least 22 volunteers before they apply to health authorities for clinical use, according to Liu Zhongjun, director of the clinical trial program.

Liu says, "Producing medical devices through 3-D printing saves time and materials, and thus the cost will be lower than traditional methods."

It also has the potential to custom-print medical implants, and create living organs for transplants, Liu adds.

Qi Xiangdong, a senior cosmetic surgeon with General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, says Chinese hospitals have been trying to make use of 3-D printing since 2002.

Many have applied the technology to create lifelike organ models so that doctors can simulate surgery procedures and pre-plan for complicated surgeries to enhance safety and efficiency, says Qi, who's a member of the standing committee of Digital Medicine Association under the Chinese Medical Association.

In 2008, doctors in Qi's hospital successfully made a 3-D printing digital model for the upper part of a cervical vertebra, and hospitals in Shanghai have been using 3-D printing to help design cosmetic implants for several years, Qi says.

But to make models for surgery simulation and preparation is different from creating living tissues and organs.

"It is great that more Chinese hospitals manage to develop 3-D technology-related medical solutions for patients," Qi says. "With the technology, doctors can provide better treatment to patients."

Hot Topics

Editor's Picks
...
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲国产精品一区二区久 | 国产成人精品视频免费大全 | 国产嫩草影院在线观看 | 一级毛片免费不卡夜夜欢 | 91香蕉国产亚洲一区二区三区 | 二区久久国产乱子伦免费精品 | 成人www视频网站免费观看 | 亚洲精品一区二区三区不卡 | 亚洲免费美女视频 | 色综合久久88色综合天天 | 一区二区三区精品国产 | 视频一区二区三区在线 | 国产精品亚洲欧美日韩一区在线 | 久草3| 在线观看国产精品入口 | 午夜欧美性欧美 | 国产免费一级在线观看 | 中文字幕一区二区三区亚洲精品 | 91精品国产91久久久久 | 台湾精品视频在线播放 | 日韩一级a毛片欧美一级 | 日韩在线三级视频 | 欧美成人午夜免费完成 | a级成人毛片久久 | 美女视频黄色免费 | 国产三级日本三级美三级 | 成人美女网 | 免费一级毛片正在播放 | 国产一级毛片在线 | 在线国产毛片 | 亚洲韩国日本欧美一区二区三区 | 日韩18在线观看地址 | 亚洲视频免 | 欧美日本道免费一区二区三区 | 国产99视频精品免视看7 | 国产精品极品美女自在线看免费一区二区 | 色片在线播放 | 亚洲国产日韩女人aaaaaa毛片在线 | 色综合久久88一加勒比 | 精品呦女| 一级毛片在线不卡直接观看 |