Boy with brittle bone disease now walks, thanks to 3D printing

A six-year-old boy with brittle bone disease can now stand again, with the help of 3D printing technology.

“My son had fractures every two or three days. He had to walk very carefully to avoid the situation,” said Mr Lu, the boy’s father to local reporters. “I am so happy and grateful that he can now stand up.” Before the boy went to surgery, he can’t stand up due to the multiple fractures in his legs.

Osteogenesis Imperfect, or Brittle bone disease, is a congenital disease that causes easily breakable bones leading to frequent fractures.

It’s caused by a gene deformation and it has no cure. Brittle bone disease is treated with medication, physical therapy, and orthopedic surgery.

The boy was from Giuyang, Guizhou province, China and was taken to University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital for surgery.

“Due to severe malformation, even making a standard X-ray film became impossible, which made it very difficult to work out an operational plan for him,” said Dr To Kai-tsun, a consultant surgeon of orthopaedics and traumatology at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital.

The surgeons printed a 3D skeleton model to plan where to make incisions. The surgeons used rods to reconnect his bones. The 3D-printed model made the operation faster to cause as less pain as possible. The 3D model was made of photosensitive resin and is said to cost around 2,000 yuan.

“Most doctors have little knowledge about the emerging technology. There has been little demand from hospitals. The cost of 3D printing is also an issue that needs to be taken into consideration,” Bai Song told the People’s Daily Online.

Song is the general manager of Shenzhen Sunshine Laser and Electronics Technology, the company who made the 3D skeleton model.

Tags: featured

Category: Features, Technology & Devices