Doctors in Poznań reconstruct pelvis using 3D printing

The five-hour-long operation allowed the 50-year-old patient, battling advanced bone cancer in his sacrum, hip bone and a large part of his pelvis, to avoid being bed-ridden for life.

"Had it not been for the state-of-the-art tech solutions, the patient would have faced an amputation of an entire limb along with nearly a half of his pelvis," said Doctor Jerzy Nazar, the head of the orthopaedics ward of the Heliodor Święcicki Medical University in Poznań, central Poland.

The custom-made 3D model, designed on the basis of the patient's x-rays and scans, took two months to make and cost up to PLN 70,000 (EUR 16,000).

The patient is now recovering well and after up to six weeks of rehabilitation is to return to a normal life. (aba/di)

Source: PAP