Tags
3d print, Belgium, Business, Design, Hip Replacement, National Basketball Association, NBA, Wheelchair
Source: 3D-printed hip implant lets teenager walk again.
3D-printed hip implant lets teenager walk again
By Nick Lavars February 9, 2014
The 3D-printed implant that has given a once wheelchair-consigned teenager the ability to walk on her own
Image Gallery (2 images)
Much of the fanfare surrounding 3D printing has centered on its enabling consumers to create objects themselves, potentially circumventing traditional production models. Alongside NBA figurines and 3D printed pizza, however, the technology continues to provide valuable solutions in the field of medicine. Mobelife, a Belgium-based implant design company, has 3D printed a custom hip implant and given a once wheelchair-consigned teenager the ability to walk on her own.
The 15-year old Swedish girl suffered from a congenital disease which saw a neurofibroma, a benign tumor which grows on the peripheral nervous system, cause extensive damage to her pelvis. When surgery to remove the neurofibroma was followed by complications and ultimately a severe skeletal deformation of her left hip, the treatment options were limited and her doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again.
Full article – see source above.