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3D Printed Bone Models Cut Cost of Surgery Operations

Posted by Soulskill on from the make-no-bones-about-it dept.

Tasha26 writes "A trainee surgeon, Mark Frame, has figured out how to save U.K.'s NHS thousands of pounds by taking advantage of 3D-printer technology. Success in orthopedic operations relies on surgeons having an accurate 3D model of the area where the operation will take place. Such models take time to produce and cost up to £1200 ($1915). Mark, a self-confessed 'technology geek,' used open source OsiriX software to convert CT scans into files which are readable by the 3D printers at Shapeways, a company in the Netherlands. Within a week they produced and delivered the first plastic 3D model of a child's forearm at a cost of £77 ($123). Mark has written a free guide so that other surgeons can make their own bones, which is being considered for publication by the World Journal of Science and Technology."

6 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. Nice! by spiffmastercow · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Side note -- if this happened in the US, he would have kept the source closed, founded a company, charged extortionary prices, and the entire medical profession would be worse off at his expense.

    1. Re:Nice! by morgauxo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      He took CT scans (already existed)
      Fed them through an open source program (already existed)
      And sent them to a 3D printer (already existed)


      If I understand the paytard philosophy, this is innovative enough that he should get a government supported monopoly?
      And rather than limiting the benefit patients can receive from this technology to only as many patients as his new startup can handle and driving up the price because supply would be way less than demand and competition nil this is supposed to somehow foster continued innovation?

      F'ng PayTards, I hope one day they see the medicines and treatments they need single sourced and priced out of reach.

  2. Protyping is the only thing they are good for. by pavon · · Score: 4, Informative

    This just demonstrates the one niche that 3D printing is good at. We have been using 3D printing for prototyping for years, and they work great for that. You get an object that is good enough for a one-off prototype without the expense of casting or milling. But they are worthless for producing anything that needs to last, or have any sort of structural strength.

    "Haters" don't hate 3D printing for what it is good for, they hate the hype surrounding it saying it will revolutionize manufacturing and will quickly improve to the point where home users can make things as good as professional manufacturing can. That's just not going to happen.

    1. Re:Protyping is the only thing they are good for. by ciderbrew · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's just not going to happen.

      People want to be able to print objects. There is a want and a need. To say it isn't going to happen in the next X years is daft.
      They just need to change the ink. I'm looking forward to have a Graphene printer on my desk in the next 20years.

    2. Re:Protyping is the only thing they are good for. by adamgundy · · Score: 3, Informative

      I have a counterpoint:

      http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/J2X/posts/post_1297869180794.html

      this is a duct for the J2-X rocket engine, produced using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (3D printed metal, in other words). it has to operate at insane temperatures and pressures... and it does, perfectly.

  3. Re:FDA approval by DrXym · · Score: 3, Informative

    I doubt you need FDA approval for something which just prints out a model of a scan. The patient isn't going to have the part shoved back in them, it's a surgeons tool. Though I can see that if it were used as the basis of producing parts that went back into a patient, e.g. a plate, band or whatever that it might become expensive. More likely they just want something they can hold, turn around, poke, practice with etc.