3D Scans and Prints Show Patients What to Expect from Plastic Surgery

Dr. Avsar holds facial mask (Photo Credit: 3Dprint.com

If you've ever had plastic surgery - or had to decide whether to have it - you understand the anxiety of not knowing what you'll look like.  After being diagnosed with nasal skin cancer , I had MOHS surgery to remove the basal cell carcinoma, and while the surgery itself was successful, the skin flap used to cover the site left an obvious scar and collapsed (misaligned) nostril.  Subsequent procedures improved its appearance, but my plastic surgeon is recommending rhinoplasty to correct the deviated septum.  

Having faced (pun intended) three surgeries and post-op care, I'm not keen to go through it again - although it'd be nice to breathe better.  Yet I worry about what it will look like.  Drawings can't capture or convey exactly how my nose (with its thickened scar tissue and pulled nostril) will appear.

But now, a cosmetic surgeon is 3D scanning his patient's faces, manipulating the resulting 3D models to depict their post-operative appearances and printing "before" and "after" masks on a 3D Systems Colorjet printer.  What makes this such an effective tool is that it is a replica of the patient in his or her current and future states, reducing the unknown.

Will 3D Printing Replace or Augment Craftsmanship?

Grand Concourse Restaurant:  Photo Credit:  Muer.com

In my hometown of Pittsburgh, there is a beautiful restaurant, the Grand Concourse in Station Square.  It is the site of the former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Station.  My grandfather was a cabinet maker for the railroad, and my grandmother once told me, years later, that one of his accomplishments was the refurbishment of its ornate ceiling.  A section of the elaborate crown molding, made of marble I believe, had been destroyed.  My grandfather created a replica out of wood which was such a close match, one couldn't pick out the faux molding.  I imagine the hours of labor that went into this important project and wonder how my grandfather would have reacted to our now being able to quickly scan the molding and print a copy overnight.

Many believe that the craftsmanship of that generation has largely been lost, replaced by mass produced materials.  But perhaps 3D printing will spur a high-tech revival.  Access to 3D scanning and additive manufacturing technologies already allow us to re-create artifacts that have been lost to time.   RapidMade often gets requests to replicate facades and other architectural features.  We once printed replacement stove handles for an antique oven.  And now, digital designs and additive manufacturing enable artisans to imagine and create exotic and unique objects that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to be made in my grandfather's time.

Surgeons Use 3D Printed Models to Plan Surgery

3D model of cancerous kidney courtesy of 3DPrinter.Net

In a previous blog, we discussed how 3D printing is helping surgeons train to perform specific procedures.  More recently, they have begun using them to plan patient surgeries as well.  Having 3D models made from a patient's CAT scans allows doctors to literally do a "dry run" which enables them to reduce the time spent in the operating room - and more importantly - increase the surgeon's accuracy.   These benefits are helping Japanese oncologist surgeons battle kidney cancer.

"By using CT scans, the surgeons were able to produce 3D scans of the patient’s kidney. The information was then sent to a 3D printer, and a 3D model of the kidney was produced. The transparent 3D printed kidney model allows surgeons to see exactly where the patient’s blood vessels are"

Knowing the exact location of blood vessels reduces the time required to disrupt blood flow which typically takes an average of 22 minutes.  Working with models beforehand lowered the time required by as much as 64%.  If one physician's estimates of $147/minute are to be believed, that could save as much as $2,000 in operating room costs - more than the $500 - $1,500 cost associated with 3D modeling and printing a patient's organ.  When one considers the additional benefit of improved accuracy, any improvement derived in surgery outcomes makes the approach potentially life saving and well worth the cost.

3D Printing Helping Decommission Nuclear Power Plants

Image Credit:  Wikipedia/Engineer.com

One under-appreciated benefit of 3D printing is being able to 3D scan and reproduce obsolete parts - either through traditional or additive manufacturing.  For example, we've been working with the State of Oregon to reverse engineer, improve and manufacture obsolete parts for some of its correctional facilities - saving several thousand dollars for each cell door that is refurbished rather than replaced.

This same approach is now being used in England to decommission nuclear power plants.

"Sellafeld recently designed a new lid for one of its 40-ton nuclear waste export flasks. By using 3D scanning engineers were able to quickly and accurately recreate the geometry of a legacy component, saving time and thousands of dollars. From those 3D scans a new lid will be printed, saving even further costs.

That’s only one example of the way 3D printing will be used to curb expenses, engineers expect AM to play a big roll in a number of future component redesigns in both plastic and metal.

Given that the estimated cost of the two plants’ decommissioning has ballooned to $118 billion, any savings that can be wrung out of the project will be greatly appreciated by the UK taxpayers."

High-profile cases like this will hopefully help reduce one hurdle to adoption:  getting agencies to appreciate the potential cost, time and ecological savings associated with reverse engineering and additive manufacturing of obsolete parts.  

3D Printed Casts

The technique is antiquated and could use a little something of a shake up thanks to new technology.

Setting castings in plaster is centuries old and has a variety of uncomfortable problems. Scanning and imaging of the body are common place in the medical field in order to diagnose injuries and illnesses, but the ability to create prosthesis and custom fixtures directly from those scans is brand spanking new, from printed bones and teeth implants to entire artificial limbs. The parts either fit to the contours of your body or are exact replicas of the body part which they replace. 

This technique now produces a superior cast taken directly from a 3D scan of the broken body part and 3D prints a cast from the digital negative. The cast is designed with snap fits which enclose the arm, keeping it from moving, but making it accessible to air and hands. Much more comfortble.

Just another simple example where the medical field can benefit from applying new technologies (additive manufacturing/3D printing) to ones that are already pervasive in the medical field (3D scanning and imaging.)