3D printing revolutionizes surgical procedures on our platform
Revamped Text:
Hold a scoliosis-ridden spine or a dog-bitten forearm - these aren't gruesome relics, but life-like models crafted by a 3D printer. In the realm of medicine, this technology serves as a game-changer, creating personalized replicas of patient injuries for a better understanding of their conditions.
"3D printing is fascinating in medicine since it's one of the rare innovations that let us fabricate anything unique," says Darryl Hwang, PhD, Radiology department's Clinical Imaging IT specialist at our website.
Hwang oversees the Department of Radiological Sciences 3D Printing and Media Center, collaborating with health providers and researchers from across the system.
These life-size models aren't just eye-catching curiosities; they help patients comprehend their conditions better, and they offer surgeons a visual and tactile aid in the surgical theatre.
UCLA cardiologists have been using 3D-printed models of their patients' hearts for over five years now. And the technology's reach has expanded to orthopedics, with early adopters like Andrew Jensen, MD, MBE, a shoulder and elbow reconstructive surgeon.
Jensen harnesses the models for practice sessions, refining accuracy and slashing procedure time. "Instead of going in blind, rehearsing gives me the confidence to diligently follow each step - just like baking a cake or assembling furniture instructions," Jensen, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, explains.
From Imaging to Model
The seed of 3D printing was sown in the 1980s and has since grown from exclusive industrial use to affordable home printers. In healthcare, it fosters personalized medicine tailored to individual patients.
The primary limitations are print size and the availability of high-resolution, three-dimensional images. State-of-the-art imaging like CT and MRI serve as the templates for 3D printers.
An image is captured, then processed using a Photoshop-esque program to eliminate auxiliary body parts and tissues. Orthopedics particularly benefits from this process, as the resulting quality model replicates the patient's bone structure effectively.
Pre-op Practice
These models usually play a part in procedures planned well in advance, taking a few weeks from creation to completion. Most of these operations are revisional, addressing broken bones that failed to heal or healed improperly.
Before 3D printing, surgeons had few options for trail runs of procedures. A generic bone model was about the best option available. But now, surgeons can utilize custom patient models in a lab setting, carry out simulated surgeries with appropriate cuts and replica implants to save surgery time and increase precision.
Future Outlook
UCLA's 3D printers currently reside in a basement lab. However, a more technologically advanced future envisions these printers taking up space alongside other surgical tools in the operating theater.
"One day it'd be amazing if I could get a quick CT scan and have a 3D printer churn out the implants right there during surgery," Jensen muses.
In a broader perspective, the technology's future could involve the expansion of 3D printing to create living tissues and even entire organs, an exciting prospect for transplantation and regenerative medicine.
"3D printing is simply a tool; how creatively we put it to use is what truly matters," Hwang emphasizes.
Science and technology have revolutionized health and wellness, particularly in the medical-conditions domain. With 3D printing, doctors are able to create personalized health-and-wellness models, such as replicas of patient injuries, for a better understanding of their conditions. This technology has also expanded into fitness-and-exercise, with surgeons like Andrew Jensen, MD, MBE, using 3D-printed models of patients' bones for practice sessions, helping to refine accuracy and slash procedure time. In the future, technology may advance even further, with 3D printers potentially creating living tissues and even entire organs, a prospect that could transform transplantation and regenerative medicine.
