3-D Printing in Spinal Surgery
In spinal surgery, advancements in technology and medicine have given doctors new ways to combat conditions affecting the human body. Minimally invasive procedures use small incision for less complex procedures; in robotics, surgeons use robotic arms to carry out a minimally invasive procedures with potentially more accuracy. So what about 3-D printing? Technically, it’s been around since the 1980s, but hasn’t been used in medicine until recent years. Commonly used to support or replace body parts that don’t enter the bloodstream, 3-D printing has the ability to fabricate prosthetic limbs, layer by layer, from the ground up. What is 3-D printing? What is 3-D printing? In medicine, 3-D printing, also referred as additive manufacturing, is the process of using plastic or metal gel to shape a replacement body part based on a patient’s MRI or CT scan. 3-D printing is allowing prosthetics to be produced and personalized in complex shapes including hands and fingers. No longer will these devices cost thousands of dollars, removing much of the financial burden patients and their families may face. “If a parent wanted to purchase a 3-D printer of their own and produce hands for their own child, the cost of the printer and
