Hearing revolution: Overcoming deafness with 3D printing

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Extract from the article: Visionary South African surgeon Dr Mashudu Tshifularo has made history with the first ever 3D printed middle ear ossicle transplant. This feat, performed in 2019 at the Steve Biko University Hospital in Pretoria, has opened up a new era in the treatm

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Visionary South African surgeon Dr Mashudu Tshifularo has made history with the first ever 3D printed middle ear ossicle transplant. This feat, performed in 2019 at the Steve Biko University Hospital in Pretoria, has opened up a new era in the treatment of hearing loss, offering an innovative solution that is accessible to all.

Dr Tshifularo has made history by performing the first successful transplant of 3D-printed middle ear ossicles. The operation, performed on a patient suffering from post-traumatic hearing loss, involved analysing the middle ear using a 3D scanner, designing customised implants and inserting them.The minimally invasive technique speeds up recovery and improves hearing.

It offers an affordable alternative to traditional titanium implants, and opens up access to better hearing for everyone, from newborns to adults.

The procedure, which takes around two hours, has a number of advantages: it is minimally invasive, leaving minimal scarring thanks to endoscopic techniques, and can be adapted to a variety of patient types. This advance is particularly effective in treating lesions of the ossicles, the tiny bones that help transmit sound. This innovation is part of a growing body of research into 3D printing in medicine.

Advances in this field are making advanced hearing care more accessible, particularly in developing countries, by reducing the cost of producing implants, making it possible to create tailor-made implants, improving the precision and effectiveness of surgical interventions, and paving the way for other applications of 3D printing in personalised medicine.

Although this procedure is particularly effective against certain pathologies, it represents a major advance in medical technology.It is a reminder that medical innovation is ubiquitous, and does not necessarily have to take place in the four corners of the world, or in the world's most prestigious hospitals, in order to offer new perspectives and improve the health and quality of life of all.

Source: Curesure Medico