3D print tech saves girls leg being cut for tumor surgery

3D printing technology is becoming a boom for healthcare delivery; recently it helps to save a 7-year-old girl’s leg from being cut. She had a bone tumor growth close to the knee that has become cancerous.

Thanks to the team of the dedicated surgeons at Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI) at Gujarat, India who performed this 6 hours long successful surgery, according to a Times of India (TOI) report.

so, how does this technology saves this young girl loosing her leg to cancer?

Girl had femur bone cancer

This 7 year old girl form Gujarat, India had developed a cancerous tumor over the left femur bone (thigh bone) that was very close to knee.

Usually a tumour growth too close to joint is left with no other option but to cut the remaining limb to prevent its spread. Bone cancer destroys normal bone tissue. It may start in the bone or spread from other parts of the body.

The part with tumour growth becomes swollen as you can see the image of tumour growth around the elbow joint.

Bone cancer and 3D printing

Fortunately a 3D printing technology comes for her rescue and saves the girls leg from being cut.

If you are new to 3D printing; it is a technology that first takes a 3-dimensional scan of an object from all the directions. This scan is then used to recreate the replica of the original object by a special printer to exact precision.

This is a perfect example of how technology like 3d printing and artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing medical technology. Do you know, AI can even predict your mortality by just scanning your chest X-Ray?

In the present case, 3D model of the cancerous thigh bone was created based on CT and MRI scans to get the exact replica of the bone and its overgrowth around it. This helped the doctors to plan out surgery so that they can only remove the bone overgrowth along with tumour, leaving the main thigh bone intact.

The way ahead

As per the TOI report, the girl is fine and doctors told that she would be back on her feet after 9 months of surgery. This brings a smile on girls’ face and hopes for the family.

Also Read: New 3D Tech prosthetic liners help more amputees walk again

Sunit. S. Ekka

Dr Sunit Sanjay Ekka is a physiotherapist in practice for the last 15 years. He has done his BPT from one of the premium Central Government physiotherapy colleges, ie, SVNIRTAR. The patient is his best teacher and whatever he gets to learn he loves to share it on his Youtube channel and blog.