A Spanish cancer patient has received a titanium sternum and rib implant designed and developed in Australia.
The patient was diagnosed with a chest wall sarcoma requiring the removal of his sternum and a portion of his rib cage
The surgical team from Salamanca University Hospital knew the surgery would be difficult due to the complicated geometries involved in the chest cavity so approached Melbourne-based medical device company Anatomics.
After assessing the complexity of the requirements, Anatomics CEO Andrew Batty said the solution was to 3D print the implant from titanium.
“While titanium implants have previously been used in chest surgery, designs have not considered the issues surrounding long term fixation,” Batty said.
“Flat and plate implants rely on screws for rigid fixation that may come loose over time. This can increase the risk of complications and the possibility of reoperation.”
Through high resolution CT data, the Anatomics team was able to create a 3D reconstruction of the chest wall and tumour, allowing the surgeons to plan and accurately define resection margins.
“From this, we were able to design an implant with a rigid sternal core and semi-flexible titanium rods to act as prosthetic ribs attached to the sternum,” he said.
Working with experts at CSIRO’s 3D printing facility Lab 22 in Clayton, Victoria, the team then manufactured the implant out of surgical grade titanium alloy.
“We built the implant using our $1.3 million Arcam printer,” Alex Kingsbury from CSIRO’s manufacturing team said.
“The printer works by directing an electron beam at a bed of titanium powder in order to melt it. This process is then repeated, building the product up layer-by-layer until you have a complete implant.”
Kingsbury said 3D printing has significant advantages over traditional manufacturing methods, particularly for biomedical applications.
“As well as being customisable, it also allows for rapid prototyping – which can make a big difference if a patient is waiting for surgery,” he said
Once the prosthesis was complete it was couriered to Spain and implanted into the patient in world-first surgery. Twelve days after the surgery the patient was discharged and has recovered well.
Image: Anatomics