A man badly injured in a motorbike crash had his face reconstructed using a 3D printer.
In a medical first, surgeons repaired Stephen Power’s cheekbone and eye socket using the cutting-edge technology to plan and execute an eight-hour operation.
They used scanned 3D images of his face to design guides to cut and position bones, as well as print titanium implants which were fitted to the 29-year-old’s face.
Mr Power, from Cardiff, broke both arms, both cheeks, both eye sockets and his jaw in a biking accident in September 2012.
Surgeons could not fully repair his cheek so the Centre for Applied Reconstructive Technologies in Surgery planned to restore the symmetry to Mr Power’s face.
Maxillofacial surgeon Adrian Sugar said: “Stephen had a very complex injury and correcting it involved bones having to be re-cut into several fragments.
“It was a three dimensional exercise. We had virtual and physical model planning for each stage of the operation.
"Without this technology, you have to guess where everything goes. With 3D printing, we are far more precise.
“This is the first time we’ve taken it to this stage, where everything to the last screw has been modelled in advance – it worked sweetly.”
Before the operation, Stephen had been self-conscious about his appearance. He continued to wear glasses despite his improving vision, to disguise his cheek and eye.
Mr Power said: “I won’t have to hide my face away and my confidence will be back.
“I’ll be able to do everyday things – go and see people, walk in the streets, just go to any public areas.
“To be honest I thought they did a good job in the beginning anyway because of how bad my accident was.
“But from this operation I can’t really explain how well it has gone. It has just made me look a lot better.
“I take my hat off to them.”
Stephen Power from Cardiff is thought to be one of the first trauma patients in the world to have 3D printing used at every stage of the procedure.
It’s the latest in series of medical miracles which have shown the ability of science to do the incredible.
Bloodstream computer
Scientists have created a tiny, wirelessly powered, self-propelled medical device capable of controlled motion through the bloodstream.
It could mean the era of swallow-the-surgeon medical care may no longer be the stuff of science fiction.
Powered without wires or batteries, it can propel itself though the bloodstream and is small enough to fit through blood vessels.
It is hoped the device will deliver drugs, perform analyses, and even zap blood clots or remove plaque from arteries in future.
Brain-controller bionic leg
Earlier amputated legs had to use sticks or wheel chairs for moving from one place to another, but then came the world’s first mind-controlled bionic leg.
Researched and launched by the Center for Bionic Medicine at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, the leg is designed with a robotic feature that operates based on feedback from the brain of the person connected to it.
The leg makes possible for people who have problems with knee-amputations, full leg amputation.
With the use of this bionic leg patients walk, climb stairs and move the leg when seated.
X-ray specs
The Eyes-On Glasses System makes it makes even hard-to-locate veins easy to find for nurses and doctors for attaching drips.
The glasses work by using the multi-spectral lighting to see veins beneath the skin and two digital cameras that transmit images wirelessly using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity.
On-board data storage allows documentation of a procedure, including videos and photos.
The telemedicine capability allows images to be shared remotely and can even connect to hospital electronic medical records systems for automated documentation.
Robotic drummer
Scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology have created a robotic drumming prosthesis with motors that power two drumsticks.
The first stick is controlled both physically by the musicians’ arms and electronically using electromyography (EMG) muscle sensors. The other stick “listens” to the music being played and improvises.
The prosthesis was created for Jason Barnes, a drummer who was electrocuted two years ago and lost his right arm below the elbow
Face transplant
In 1994 nine year old Sandeep Kaur from India had her face and scalp completely amputated from a threshing machine.
The machine caught one of Sandeep’s braids causing her head to be pulled in. Abraham Thomas, one of India’s top microsurgeons managed to reattach Sandeep’s face back onto her skull and reconnect the arteries.
Sandeep is now a nurse.
Tiny robot
After 3D printing was used to help rebuild motorcyclist Stephen Power's face - we decided to look at other amazing medical advances
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