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3-D Printed Skull Successfully Implanted In Woman
First time accepted submitter djhaskin987 (2147470) writes "The first successful implantation of a 3-D printed skull has taken place in the Netherlands, according to NBC news: 'Doctors in the Netherlands report that they have for the first time successfully replaced most of a human's skull with a 3-D printed plastic one — and likely saved a woman's life in the process. The 23-hour surgery took place three months ago at University Medical Center Utrecht. The hospital announced details of the groundbreaking operation this week and said the patient, a 22-year-old woman, is doing just fine."
Can I get a bulletproof one?
with eSATA, USB 3.0, FireWire 800, HDMI, DVI, RJ45, RJ11 and Thunderbolt ports ? With a 40-year upgrade plan for future interface types ?
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
Advertising how to get money for this?
Have you had your skull printed in plastic by a 3D printer? Call me now!
Hope they didn't use that nasty Chinese plastic thats full of phthalates....
There goes our titanium skeleton... meh, progress...
The only counter is sharks with laser beams!
How cool is that!!! If that was me, I would make sure they didn't put the skin back on, and added a few blue flashing LED's for additional affect.
Do they make them in adamantium yet ?
Maybe we deserve this world ?
Printing it is one thing, but I'm amazed that it's possible to install it.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
The present is looking more and more like Ghost in the Shell. I love it.
Buy your next Linux PC at eightvirtues.com
How can this be the first time that it's been done, and this statement also be true:
"Now we can use 3-D 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."
Which outcomes are they comparing with the old method? This is the first one.
It's why helmets for cyclists and motorbike riders are not just made of a hard steel shell. Shock waves from fast impacts can pass through a hard material and transmit through something softer, and if they are carrying a lot of energy they can really mess up the softer material.
Medical grade plastics are actually much safer for your health than any metals, so, go back to school before you hurt yourself by saying something retarded....
Titanium very often contains nickel to harden hit, about 4% of people can get pretty severe allergic reactions over an extended period of time.
the advantage of composites, is that they're easier and safer to replace with less harm to the soft tissue surrounding it.
A short video of the surgery where you can see the implant.
http://tweakers.net/video/8879/volledige-kunststof-3d-geprinte-schedel-geimplanteerd.html
published days ago everywhere else. Slashdot is a fishwrap now? If I want to read pathetic jokes about old crap, I hit up cracked.com ...
How did this story make it on slashdot but the story bellow it:
Russia Uses Ukraine's Dolphin Squad, But for What Porpoise?
Not?
Just thinking ;)
I'd have made damn sure they slipped a layer of tinfoil atop my brain before buttoning up.
Right, sure. If my skull had just been replaced, I a sure I would be doing just fine. This is right out of RoboCop...
The article must be a mistake. The Netherlands has socializes medicine. This sort of innovation only happens in capitalistic healthcare systems.
So this girl's going to be without hair, correct?
I'm always surprised when these stories get reported. As a neurosurgeon, this has been done in various forms for >50yrs. I remember as a resident pounding titanium plates on a roundish metal head anvil on the sterile back table, then cutting it to shape. 3-d milled titanium and PEEK implants became commercially available in 2002 - custom generated from the patient's own CT scan. 3-d printed implants have been available for a few years (?2010) and have the advantage of being able to fit more complex shapes than a 4-or 5 axis milled piece, but don't match the strength of milled pieces. Typically the lead time to mill/print a piece is about 3 weeks and cost ranges from 6-10k.
If the shockwave concept worked as described here bullet proof vests would be useless. Getting hit while wearing armor is trivial. The ammount of kinetic energy a bullet is carrying is small when compared to things you encounter daily. Someone walking up and shoving you or punching you carried many times the energy in most bullets. You've hit yourself in the head harder than a handgun will if the bullet wasn't a penetration everytime you have bent down under a table or cabinet and stood up too soon. It might be worth testing though. You have soem physics on your side. I just do not think it is as cut and dry as you make it seem. I wonder if someone could talk MythBusters into trying it.
There. That's much better than a rib.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
good one - or maybe typo ??
And it hurts like a bitch.
But more importantly, I have seen people who have been shot while wearing armor. No penetration but Bruises and broken ribs are not uncommon.
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
My aunt had 3 brain surgeries in a developing country for a slow growing benign brain tumor.
After the second operation, they replaced part of her skull cap with a plastic sheet, and she is living for years and had the 3rd operation with that in her head.
But it is not 3D printed, so not cool/shiny/news worthy ...
Because that would be AWESOME!
It's not the one I was looking for but illustrates the situation:
http://www.stevespanglerscienc...