---
title: "Vinmec performs TFR surgery using 3D printed metal implant"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/vinmec-performs-tfr-surgery-using-3d-printed-metal-implant/
date: 2025-06-22
modified: 2025-06-21
lang: en
author: "Edward Wakefield"
description: "Vinmec Healthcare System, Vietnam's leading private healthcare system, has performed a Total Femoral Replacement (TFR) using personalized 3D printed metal for the youngest known patient diagnosed with osteosarcoma. This not..."
categories:
  - "Case Studies"
  - "Medical AM"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ad4nxfrdfqnwfxo1yzl9epeojmdamvatcsc8jrcsyahz5krqj-640x427.jpg
word_count: 314
---

# Vinmec performs TFR surgery using 3D printed metal implant

Vinmec Healthcare System, Vietnam's leading private healthcare system, has performed a [Total Femoral Replacement (TFR)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/restor3d-launches-cost-competitive-3d-printed-femoral-implants/) using personalized 3D printed metal for the youngest known patient diagnosed with osteosarcoma. This not only saved the child’s leg—but marked a turning point for Vietnam’s role in high-tech, precision medicine.

In 2022, after what seemed like a minor injury, a young boy named Tran Minh Duc was diagnosed with aggressive [bone cancer](https://www.voxelmatters.com/researchers-advance-bone-tissue-engineering-with-3d-printing/) that had invaded his entire femur. The standard recommendations—amputation or bone grafting—posed severe risks, especially for a growing child.

Instead, Vinmec doctors proposed an unprecedented solution for the traditionally accepted approach in the country: to design and manufacture [a custom femur using 3D printing technology](https://www.voxelmatters.com/ut-dallas-engineers-design-3d-printed-femur/), tailored precisely to Duc’s anatomy. The implant was developed locally through collaboration between Vinmec surgeons and engineers from VinUni, using CT and MRI scans to model and produce the modular implant entirely in Vietnam.

This two-phase surgery included tumor removal and a [temporary cement bone graft](https://www.voxelmatters.com/university-of-waterloo-researchers-design-3d-printed-bone-grafts/) in early 2024, followed by full replacement with a 3D printed metal femur in May 2025. “We contacted foreign manufacturers, but there was no suitable design,” said Dr. Tran Duc Thanh. “Self-manufacturing the equipment allows us to be proactive in treatment.”

The implant’s modular design enables future adjustments as Duc grows, embodying the principles of personalized and adaptable medicine. “The 4-hour surgery was a success,” said Prof. Dr. Tran Trung Dung. “Duc recovered quickly, and he is now walking with support.”

This case marks the first time 3D printing has been used for TFR in such a young patient, and it was executed using entirely Vietnamese resources. Beyond the surgical success, it sets a new standard for how advanced manufacturing can transform medical care in developing nations.

Vinmec continues to push boundaries with 3D printing, having previously achieved milestones such as creating a [titanium 3D printed](https://www.voxelmatters.com/himed-study-shows-importance-of-post-processing-in-3d-printed-titanium-implants/) chest wall and performing a simultaneous pelvis and femur replacement.