Kazakh doctors repair a skull defect with 3D printed implant
The implant was produced in an unspecified plastic (likely PEEK) in Germany
According to Kazinform, Kazakh doctors have performed the country’s first surgery to repair a skull defect of a 14-year-old boy in the Zhambyl region, using 3D printing, after he was rushed to the children’s multi-field hospital in Taraz.
Half a year ago, the boy was treated with a decompressive craniectomy on the temporal region of the brain to decrease intracranial pressure following previous acute purulent diseases and recurrent purulent meningitis that affected his brain structure. He also suffered from toxic shock syndrome.
A decompressive craniectomy involves removing part of the skull bone. The neurosurgeons and resuscitators decided to make a personalized implant – which was 3D printed in an unspecified plastic (likely PEEK) in Germany – to repair the skull defects and prevent repeated traumas of the brain.
The surgery reportedly went well, with the boy being in stable condition, now having been discharged from the hospital with no visible cosmetic effect.
