Recall here the John Travolta and Nicholas Cage thriller 'Face Off', except several hundred times more advanced and more exciting. The use of 3D printing has progressed very swiftly in these recent years. From projects as complex as assisting with bone regrowth to tasks as commonplace as 3D printing gummy bear candies online, growth in development and potential are undeniable. A recent successful completion of a very complicated face transplant by surgeons at the Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery in New York University's Langone Medical Center chalks up another victory for 3D printing technology.
The New York surgeons used 3D printing to develop the surgical model and plan for a full and complex face transplant that is designed to help former fire troop volunteer Patrick Hardison of Mississippi. Hardison's face was damaged from assisting with a mobile home fire 14 years ago. In 2012, he requested the help of Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who had then just successfully performed the first human face transplant. Hardison had to wait three years before a donor was found for him in the person of a 26-year-old bike mechanic from Brooklyn.
Enlisting the aid of the highly accurate Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP) solution by 3D Systems, the doctors were able to create a winning plan for the extremely sensitive procedure. The surgery involved a team of over 100 doctors, nurses and medical staff and required 26 hours to perform.
Following the procedure, Hardison says: "That donor and his family gave me this gift, and I can never thank them enough for giving me something as great as this, something I thought I would never have."
As with most transplants, one of the biggest risks for Hardison is rejection by his body of the transplanted face. In the meantime, Hardison will need a few months to recover and heal from his surgery.
