Chinese farmer fitted with 3D-printed skull 'makes full recovery' after surgery
Patient can now speak simple words and is more willing to interact with others
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 18 September, 2014, 2:49pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 18 September, 2014, 5:12pm
Staff Reporter
Before and after: Shaanxi farmer Hu crushed his skull in a fall, but doctors reconstructed his head with a prosthetic skull. Photos: Reuters and YouTube
A Chinese man who had 3D-printed skull surgically attached to his head has completely recovered, prompting doctors to call the operation a “success”, news agency Xinhua reported.
The 46-year-old farmer, surnamed Hu, suffered from a crushed skull after falling from the third floor of a building in Xian city, Shaanxi province.
Hu underwent surgery on August 28 to have his skull fitted with the 3D-printed prosthetic, which was considered a medical first.
Xijing Hospital chief Guo Shuzhong said Hu did not show “any sign of infection or rejection towards the implanted mesh and his brain is well-protected now”, according to Xinhua.
After his accident, Hu had trouble with his eyesight, and ability to speak and write, but he could for some months walk and eat normally.
After the operation, his cerebral nerves have healed enough so he can speak simple words. His language ability is expected to gradually improve, the report said.
Doctors at Xijing Hospital in Xian grafted a titanium mesh skull piece on his head during the operation, which lasted three and a half hours, the report said.
Hu lost part of his head in an accident but was surgically fitted with a titanium mesh skull. Photos: Reuters
They inserted the artificial skull, which weighs 9.9 grams, underneath skin and muscle, it said.
After more than two weeks, Hu’s head has nearly returned to its original shape and the scarring from the surgery is almost gone, the Xinhua report said.
Surgeons elsewhere in the world have used artificial hip bones and jaws created from a 3-D printer – which functions much like a household inkjet printer except it can print layers and layers of material to create a three-dimensional object.
Hu’s doctors still plan to repair his damaged left eyelid three months from now. After that, his appearance will be restored, the doctors were quoted as saying.
The farmer’s wife, Zhang Huixiang, said that Hu was reluctant to leave the house – but after the surgery was “now more willing to communicate” with others.
