Cancer patient receives 3D printed ribs surgery

In a world-first surgery of its kind, a Spanish cancer patient has successfully received a 3D printed titanium sternum and rib implant and has recovered well. Suffering from a chest wall sarcoma (a type of tumour that grows in and around the rib cage), the 54-year-old man needed his sternum and a portion of his rib cage replaced.

This part of the chest is notoriously tricky to recreate with prosthetics, due to the complex geometry and intricate structures involved, researchers said. So the patient’s surgical team from Salamanca University Hospital in Spain determined that a fully customisable 3D printed sternum and rib cage was the best option.

“We thought, maybe we could create a new type of implant that we could fully customise to replicate the intricate structures of the sternum and ribs,” said Dr Jose Aranda, who was a part of the surgical team.

“We wanted to provide a safer option for our <g data-gr-id="16">patient,</g> and improve their recovery post-surgery,” said Aranda.