Chinese Doctors Use 3D-Printing in Pioneering Surgery to Replace Half of Man’s Skull
Surgeons at Xijing Hospital in Xi’an, Shaanxi province in Northwest China are using 3D-printing in a pioneering surgery to help rebuild the skull of a man who suffered brain damage in a construction accident.
Hu, a 46-year-old farmer, was overseeing construction to expand his home in Zhouzhi county last October when he was hit by a pile of wood and fell down three storeys.
Although he survived the fall, the left side of his skull was severely crushed and the shattered bone fragments needed to be removed, which has led to a depression of one side of his head.
Due to his injuries, Hu cannot see well out of his left eye, experiences double vision (diplopia) and is also unable to speak and write.
