A team of oncologists from Queen Elizabeth Hospital successfully performed the first 3D printed moulded calcaneal bone replacement in Malaysia on a young man.
The surgery was conducted on a patient with a recurrence of a Giant Cell Tumour in his heel bone. The extent of the recurrence required a complete resection of the calcaneum, leaving a void in the crucial weight-bearing heel region.
Following the operation, the patient was recovering well with his 3D moulded heel bone with no complications developing, the hospital added.
They noted that the 3D printing method for the bone replacement method was “a very efficient and economical option” for patients in view of financial constraints government hospitals had in providing patients with replacement implants.
“Many future patients can benefit from this method of reconstruction – as this method can print and mould any bones in the body as long as the 3D printing can print,” the medical team said.
The team of doctors were from the Orthopaedic Oncology Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital I and Queen Elizabeth Hospital II, here.
The preparation and surgery were led by Dr Aaron Gerarde Paul, Dr Eyrique Goh Boay Heong and Dr Tee Kok Keat on Jan 24.
A medical team involved in Malaysia’s first surgery to replace a an diesesed heel bone with a 3D moulded replacement for the calcaneal bone at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
Chief Assistant Medical Officer Mohd Sukri Umar spearheaded the engineering component of the project with a donated 3D printer.
The hospital said that several weeks of pre-planning was done for the case with brainstorming as well as to iron out and improvise the protocol for the surgery.
They explained that CT images of the calcaneus were downloaded via a software that enables them to convert the images into a 3D model.
The material used is polylactic acid (PLA) – a type of polyester made from fermented plants which later turn into lactic acid.
In explaining further, they said that polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) also known as bone cement was inserted within the cavity of the printed calcaneum.
“The cement will then harden following the mould’s shape. The moulded calcaneum is easily removed as the heat dissipates the PLA mould allowing it to peel off like rubber and the moment it is removed, the mould hardens back,” the statement said.
The newly made calcaneum was then inserted into the cavity with its anatomic fitting and screws were inserted to hold it in place.
“The bone cement is harder and stronger than physical bones, allowing full weight bearing post-operation – however a rest period was ordered to allow soft tissues to incorporate with the calcaneum,” they said.
