This article was taken from the July 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
In January, Belgian surgeons successfully performed the country's first full-face transplant -- using 3D printing to streamline the procedure. A 65-strong medical team at Ghent University Hospital, headed by Phillip Blondeel, closely followed a virtual pre-operative plan devised by Materialise, a Belgian 3D-printing company. Engineer Joris Bellinckx and his team first scanned the patient's face with a CT scanner. Using custom 3D-visualising software, they examined the defects digitally and, based on this analysis, custom-printed anatomical models of healthy bones to use as a reference during surgery. "We also printed a surgical aid to fit the lower jaw of a potential donor," says Bellinckx. "This guide sits on the donor's face during surgery and describes exactly where the surgeon needs to cut."
The painstaking planning eventually paid off. Six days after the surgery, ahead of anybody's expectations, the patient was able to speak. "He defied all odds," says Bellinckx.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
