The past year has shown a plethora of advances in the world of 3D printing - from a Handheld “Bio-Pen” that uses 3D printing technology to draw on or replace damaged bones to the first successful hot fire trial of a 3D-printed rocket engine. While the realm of uses for these fantastic gadgets seems to expand by the day, they far surpassed the “Neat-o!” factor this week with their latest contribution to the medical world. Doctors in the Netherlands report that they have successfully replaced the majority of a human’s skull with a 3D-printed plastic one; the first surgery of its kind, and a giant leap forward in the world of medicine and innovative technology.

 
The idea is by no means the first ever of its kind. In 2013 doctors replaced 75% of a patient’s skull with a 3D-printed implant made of polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), a thermoplastic. While PEKK and similar plastics are strong and temperature resistant, the new “mystery material” created by Australian medical device company Anatomics for the transplant procedure not only meets the extensive and stringent medical requirements, but it is also transparent. While the transparent end product may not have initially been a focus in creating the material, the advantages of it were clear to doctors immediately. Not only does it enable them to monitor how things are going macroscopically, it also provides the exciting possibility of being able to optically image activity in the brain in new and astounding ways. Not to mention the obvious benefits of the time it saves and the accuracy it provides. Neurologist Dr. Ben Verweij explains that “Implants used to be made by hand in the operating theatre using a sort of cement which was far from ideal. Using 3D printing we can make one to the exact size. This not only has great cosmetic advantages, but patients’ brain function often recovers better that using the old method”.

 
But don’t just take it from us – the 22-year-old recipient of the gnarliest dome in creation is living proof of the amazing life changes 3D printers can provide. Doctors at UMC Utrecht have even published a video of the amazing procedure. After long suffering pressure, headaches, the loss of her vision and a steady decline in motor coordination due to a bone disease that cause her skull to thicken, increasing pressure on her brain, the patient’s skull had reached 5 centimeters thick at the time of her surgery – more than 3 times the normal thickness. Fitting the 3D-printed skull to her head took a 23-hour-long surgery, the procedure in total lasted nearly three months. When all was said and done, after having nearly her entire skull replaced, Verweij announced this week that the patient “has fully regained her vision, she has no more complaints, she’s gone back to work and there are almost no traces that she had any surgery at all.” In a press release this week, Verweij added that the procedure has shown that “we can use 3D printing to ensure that these components are an exact fit. This has major advantages, not only cosmetically but also because patients often have better brain function compared with the old method.”

 
I for one am beyond thrilled to see what the Powers that Be come up with next in the ever-growing world of 3D printing. And no matter what that may be, for today, I’m content to know that my childhood dream of becoming the next Bionic Woman is a little less out of reach than before.