In a groundbreaking procedure, British surgeons will reconstruct the injured side of a biker’s face using 3D printing to create a mirror image of the good side and to create titanium implants.
The unaffected side of the biker’s face has been used to create a mirror image.
Surgeons in Swansea used an X-ray CT scan to create minutely detailed three-dimensional images.
These images are used both to design guides to cut and position facial bones and create tailor-made implants for the patient.
The guides and implants are being produced in medical-grade titanium in Belgium.
This carries on the amazing work done by another British surgeon, Andrew Dawood, who used 3D printing to create a prosthetic for Eric Moger, who lost part of his face due to cancer.
In Alaska, surgeon James Kallman used a 3D printed version of Terrence Hinz’s badly crushed face to create facial reconstruction plates and do the entire surgery quickly and right. Hinz has fully recovered.