NEED A BODY PART? SCI FI BECOMES REALITY WITH 3-D MEDICAL IMPLANTS

From head to toe, 3-D implants are revolutionizing modern medicine

By Miriam Raftery

September 2, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Doctors  at Peking University in China have implanted the first-ever vertebra in a patient made using a 3-D printer, Business Insider reports.  Unlike most items printed in 3D, which use plastic, the custom-designed vertebra is made of titanium powder – a lightweight, porous material that allows real bone to grow through it, eventually creating a more natural fusion for the young patient’s spine.

The patient is a 12-year-old boy with a tumor in his spine that destroyed a vertebra. In the past, such patients relied on metal rod implants, but the results were often far from ideal.

Dr. Liu Zhongjun has said the patient is progressing well after his surgery.

While this is the first time 3-D printing has been used to create a new vertebrae for  a patient, it’s not the first time that a 3-D body part has been used.  Artificial hips, jaws and even a skull have been created elsewhere for patients who lost parts due to injury or infection. Doctors rebuilt a face for a Welsh man injured in a motorcycle accident, BBC news reported. 3D hands have been crafted to help child war victims in the Sudan in a project called “Not Impossible.”

Business Insider reports that 3-D organs will likely be next on the drawing board. According to a recent Forbes article, doctors aim to be able to print an entire heart in 3D within a decade. Artificial skin printed in 3-D is also reportedly under development.

The trend is a case of life imitating art. Back in 1973, when the Six Million Dollar Man show debuted on TV featuring a character with bionic body parts, the plot was largely viewed as science fiction.  But today, 3D technology is poised to become part of mainstream medicine.

3-D medical advances are not only transforming lives, they also offer prospects for big business.  Forbes reports that the orthopedic implant industry alone in the U.S. is expected to reach $52 billion by next year.