According to Materialise’s Board Chairman, Peter Leys, "Materialise highly anticipates working closely together with Fuwai Hospital, and Chinese regulatory authorities, to enable doctors and patients to benefit from 3D Printed heart models.

Professor Guo Wei from the Peking University People’s Hospital is now the first to use 3D printing technology to create a sacral prosthesis that would in effect take the place of a patient's removed sacrum.

Professor Wang Xiaoping from the Tang Du Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University is the first doctor to remove a patient's sternum and replace it with an “exact” replica made of 3D printed titanium.

3DPrint reported, "Upon seeing Han Han, the medical team at the Hunan Province Brain Hospital elected to perform an unheard of life-saving surgery which they called (translated from chinese) “whole brain shrinking plastic surgery”.

In Guangdong, China, at the Southern Medical University, Dean Professor Huang Wenhua. Wenhua and his students are using high-precision 3D printers to print out pure bone structures, made up of bone powder and a type of “bio-glue”.

Chinese company, MedPrin, has created a 3D printed dura replacement material that is used for brain surgery to replace the dura layer just beneath the bone after surgery.   Redura is very similar to dura, and eventually dissolves as the body replaces it with actual dura.

Surgeons at Fujian Medical University’s affiliated hospital were aided by an custom model of a patient’s spine, as they performed surgery to address the narrowing of his spinal canal, a condition known as spinal stenosis.

Chinese researchers have created a new generation SLA printer which can work with viscous liquids such as ceramics and porcelains that could be used to print teeth in minutes.

Mimicing a similar surgery in the US in February, Chinese doctors created detailed medical models with 3D printing to aid surgeons in the delicate operation of separating conjoined twins.

Thanks to 3D printed models, spine surgeons in China were able to plan and rehearse a difficult hunchback pin surgery and knew exactly where the pin needed to be placed, so surgical time was cut in half, and a much smaller incision was required and the inherent risk was highly reduced.

Using a CT scan of a patient's normal opposite ear, doctors in China were able to 3D print a mirror image of it, and this model was aided surgeons in building a new ear for the other side.

8 month old suffering Craniosynostosis, a rare congenital skull deformity was treated using 3D printing technology to produce exact replica model of his skull. Surgery was conducted on May 21 at Shanghai Children’s Medical Center and saw the power of 3D Printing as a future perspective.

After spending 50k$ on 3D Printed Humanod Robot, Mark 1, the graphic designer, Ricky Ma from Hong Kong finally completed his dream project. Although "She" looks like Scarlett Johansson, this humanoid is designed to perform complex functions. Ricky is currently looking for investors who would buy her.

Patient with Ankle deformity usually undergo surgery taking other bones from the patient to repair the defect part, which is often painful with prolonged recovery. However, Surgeons at Southeast Hospital, China, used 3D Printed implant and fixation plate to replace the defect part.

1 year-old Chen Chen from Yongzhou City, China, was diagnosed with rare skull deformity called Narrow Cranial Disease. Concerned about the intra-cranial pressure complications, Neurosurgeons approached to 3D Printing reconstruction, and Wu Shui Hua’s team was able to go into surgery.

Chinaplas held it's 30th Exhibition featuring 3D Printing at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), China from 25-28th April. Amazed by 13.7% increase in visitors, the event had around 150,000 visitors in 4 days, the largest ever recorded. With 40 ground-breaking techs, it was termed a must-visit show.

Chinese University and the University of Hong Kong have introduced personalised models of complex heart structures using 3D Printing technology. The actual heart structure is first captured via ultrasound imaging, followed by the creation of a silicone model which takes two days. It has been applied on 3 patients, first being a 78 year old woman with several strokes. With this, doctors can now determine proper size of occluder.

Longhua Funeral Parlor, a funeral home in Shanghai, has started 3D Printing body parts for damaged corpses replacing the traditional use of wax or sludge. The whole process involves building multiple layers of material on top of each other to construct a three-dimensional product.

Xiaolei Wang, and his colleagues from NanChang University, have developed antibacterial materials based on silver nanoparticles enclosed in carbon membranes that act as switchable capsules. These switchable smart bandages, when pressed, causes the layers to interact, releasing the active silver particles and changing the color from white to orange, showing the bandage is on.

Doctors from the south China's Hunan Province recently performed a successful spinal surgery using 3D printing technology on a man suffering from spinal arthritis, leading to a severe humpback. With densely distributed nerves on spine, the surgery could have led to permanent paralysis.

Chinese doctors from People's Hospital of Jilin successfully performed an open heart surgery on a nine-month-old baby suffering from Congenital Heart Defect called a Total Pulmonary Venous Anomalous Drainage, using a 3D printed heart model to plan the surgery. A full-sized heart replica modeled the boy's cardiac structure which assisted for virtual surgery.

First 3D Printed Titanium Spinal Implant was successfully used in patient surnamed Yuan diagnosed with malignant tumor on his back. Performed at Beijing University Third Hospital, Dr. Liu Zhongjun explained how 3D Printing was the best option to be used for 19 cm replacement of backbone.

The first 3D Printing Factory had already started construction in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The project started after the Fengdu county government of the municipality and the Hkable Biological 3D (China) Co Ltd, a joint venture between U.-based Hkable and local biotechnology company Jintai, signed a cooperation agreement on Tuesday. The factory is estimated to cost 50 million yuan ($7.5 million) and will produce human part molds to help with surgery for orthopedics, burns and dentistry, and artificial parts such as limbs.

Professor Wu Jun, director of the Burns Institute at the Southwest Hospital in Chongqing and his fellow researchers are working on 3D Printed Custom Skin to match the wounds of burn victims. Currently experimenting with pig skin, he stated that in printing skin, the biggest challenge is the ink and the process is expected to be finalized within two to three years. With 3D Printed Custom Skin, they will be able to help patients with burns with faster recovery, reduced risk of infection and eventual scarring.

A medical team of 8 members at Hong Kong-based Queen Elizabeth Hospital team used 3D printing technology to create a detailed heart model of their 77-year-old patient Shum. The medical specialists performed a surgery that involved the replacing of two heart valves through blood vessels in a single operation. The surgery with 3D Printing involved minimal invasiveness and was completed in just four hours.

A team of researchers led by Professor Cheng Shujie from Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, China are unveiling precise 3D Printed Liver Models which have been 3D Printed using Stereolithography for lower costs & precision and can be used for aiding in surgeries. Using two high speed LCD-SLA 3D printers, the team was able to create detailed, life-sized liver model for approximately $80-$90.

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) of Taiwan has developed bone material specially designed for ethnic Chinese people using 3D printing to combine metal and ceramic composite materials with bionic bone structures, and is expected to come in 2018. The ITRI-developed 3D printed bone material is lightweight, hydrophilic, and fuses easily with existing bone. It’s porous and hollow and can be used to regenerate natural bone, plus it can be easily customized for personalized treatment.

Porimy 3D Printing Technology Co., Ltd, a start-up offshoot of the Kunshan Industrial Technology Research Institute, China, has announced their high-performance 3D Printer that can 3D Print Dentures after 3D scanning for a superior fit. They also released a ceramic slurry to 3D Print the prosthesis using the 3D Printer, which will cost around ¥700,000 to ¥800,000, translating to around $110,000 US.

A collaborative team of researchers from the National Taiwan University Hospital, the China Medical University Hospital, and Asia University have created a new bone substitute- Calcium Silicate Bone Scaffold that have both osteoconductive and osetoinductive potential to be used for bone grafts/repair required in people suffering from bone defects and disorders around the globe. The team explored the effects of various loading methods on novel grafting material bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), which was loaded with a mesoporous calcium silicate (MesoCS) scaffold created with FDM 3D printing on a 3D bioprinter from GeSiM.

Ti6Al4V, a biomedical implant, is a titanium alloy with biocompatibility, mechanical properties, and excellent corrosion resistance but poor wear resistance, corrosion and stability. The researchers from Jiangsu University used Laser Peening (LP), a laser surface modification technology, to modify Ti6Al4V and the results concluded that the surface micro-hardness value of the LP-treated Ti6Al4V sample increased by 25.7%, showing that LP was able to strengthen its surface. Additionally, the results of the experiment showed that after being treated with LP, the specimen did have better wear resistance than the untreated one; laser energy and impact time also helped improve the wear resistance of the LP specimen.

A group of researchers from Jiangsu University tested Laser Peening (LP), a laser surface modification technology, to increase the wear resistance of most common titanium alloy for implants, the Ti6Al4V alloy. Cut samples of alloy of 40 x 20 x 4 mm rectangular shapes, with 4 mm thickness were treated with Laser Peening and then tested for surface roughness and micro-hardness at Nanjing University of Aerospace and Astronautics in China. The promising results concluded 25.7% increased wear resistance in LP-Treated Ti6Al4V samples compared too untreated ones.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030399217319230

A team of researchers from China and Taiwan used Aerosol Jet 3D printing to develop a neuronal interface for implants with prolonged anti-inflammatory ability, structural and mechanical properties that mimicked brain tissue, and a sustained nonfouling property in order to inhibit tissue encapsulation. The team developed a new type of anti-inflammatory nanogel, based on the amphiphilic polydimethylsiloxane-modified N, O-carboxylic chitosan (PMSC) incorporated with oligo-proanthocyanidin (OPC), called OPMSC which was directly fabricated onto a membrane using aerosol jet printing technology.

A research conducted at The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in Zhejiang, China, provides insights to the use of 3D Printing in medical field. 48 patients suffering from distal radius fractures (one of the most common type of upper body injuries) participated in the study, with a 3D model made of each break using CT scans and Mimics software before being 3D Printed in PLA. The research concluded the advantage with more accurate diagnosis and surgery, faster procedure time, less blood loss in patients, and frequency of intraoperative fluoroscopy.

A team from the Research Center for Nano-Biomaterials at Sichuan University worked on four groups of scaffolds, namely: PCL, PCL/PVAc, PCL/HA and PCL/PVAc/HA. By 3D Printing them on 3D Bioprinter V2.0 (manufactured by Hangzhou Regenovo Biotechnology Co., Ltd, China), they revealed that although they had almost similar porosity, the mechanical properties were different. PCL/PVAc/HA scaffold was selected the winner with more favorable characteristics during in vitro cell culture experiment and in vivo bone formation.

A Team of Researchers from China worked towards combining 3D printing with patient‐specific instrumentation (PSI) and performing a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) to show that 3DP‐designed PSI performed better than traditional TKA. CT scans were converted to 3D printing files, printed out on an UP BOX, using bio-safe polylactic acid. Eighty five patients got operated and received the LEGION Total Knee System. The outcomes on the follow up revealed PSI to have better postoperative radiological outcomes, accuracy in 3DP-designed PSI, and feasibility.

Researchers at Morphologic Science Experimental Center, Central South University, China, worked towards making the use of Phone Cameras and Cloud service-based workflow to image bone specimens and print their three-dimensional (3D) models for anatomical education. Using four typical human bone specimens, the femur, rib, cervical vertebra and skull , photographed by a phone camera, they aligned and converted them into digital images for incorporation into a digital model through the Get3D website and submitted to an online 3D printing platform to obtain the 3D Printed models. The results were excellent and as low as distance deviations ≤2 mm were noted among 99% of the random sampling points that were tested.

Researchers from China worked on a study that involved comparing 3D Print in pre-operative care to three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) in Thoracoscopic Pulmonary Segmentectomy for Cancer Patients. 124 selected patients were divided into three groups- General, 3D-T and 3D Printing; and Pre-operative 3D image reconstruction was performed to view and reconstruct 3D images of the nodules, bronchi, and pulmonary vessels and the models were then printed on a Lite600HD 3D printer. 3D Printing Group was found to have decreased Intraoperative blood loss and reduced time of procedures.

Read More: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6976356/

Researchers from China worked towards upgrading the routes of administering Anti-Cancer drugs using 3D Printing. With interstitial permanent radioactive seed implantation, cancer patients can receive large, localized doses for treating tumours. While most seeds are implanted using Ultrasound or CT these days, the research revolved around using 3D-PCT-guided seed implantation, assisted by CT processes, which makes implantation is ‘suitable’ for salvage treatment of recurrent and metastatic solid tumours. The Standard workflows for CT-assisted 3D-PCT-guided seed implantation included: Patient position fixation, CT-simulated positioning, Pre-planning design, 3D-PCT image production, Stabilization by 3D-PCT, Needle puncture for seed implantation, Implantation of seeds and Post-plan evaluation.

Researchers from Taiwan worked on improved methods of accommodating bone defects after failed implants must be removed using 3D Printing. Bio-Active Dental implant, which were manufactured with laser-sintered additive 3D printing technique, were used in animal experiments where one side of distal femurs was randomly selected for the commercially pure titanium NobelActive implant (control group) and the other side with Bio-Active Ti₆Al₄V porous dental implant (ITRI group). After Bio-printing with EOSINT M 280 system, the researchers concluded that by enlarging pore width at the nanoscale, they can to increase bioactivity features as well as accelerate osseogenesis during Dental Surgeries.

Researchers from China’s Zhejiang University used 3D Printing to study Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (APVC), an uncommon congenital anomaly in which pulmonary venous blood flows directly into the right side of the heart or into the systemic veins. 3D printing of the personalized heart models was completed via an ISLA 650 3D printer (Shining 3D, China). Each patient-specific heart model took around half an hour to two hours to model, with 3D printing requiring anywhere from two to five hours. Surgeries were performed on all 17 patients, and each procedure was successful.

When it comes to Needles, everyone fears the prick. A Team of Researchers in China set out on path to 3D Print Hydrogel Microneedles that can be used for various clinical purposes involving drug loading, reducing pain and greatly increasing the drug loading capacity. They created creating high-performance yet affordable hydrogel Microneedles through high-precision digital light processing (H-P DLP). Upon completing the study, the authors noted 300ms as the ‘ideal exposure time’ for building Microneedles.

Scientists from US and China collaborated on a study to integrate Virtual and 3D Printing Applications into postoperative treatment of cancer. They shared 5 Cases of: Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma; 3 × 3 cm Right neck mass discovered during examination for a stroke; 5.0 × 4.5 cm Mass in left cheek- Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma; 2.5 × 3.5 cm left Gingival Squamous Cell Carcinoma and 5 cm left Sub-Mucosal Oral Cavity Lesion. They explained how 3D Printing assisted with CAD/CAM and Virtual Reality assisted them in creating medical models prior to surgery and planning better outcomes.

Researchers from the Department of Orthopaedics Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, China, used 3D Printing to reduce the blood loss and surgery time in Hip fracture cases. 7 patients were assessed over a five-year period from 2012-2017, with 3D printed models created for treatment and surgical simulation. CT data was used to create 3D models of each patient’s fracture followed by trochanteric osteotomies, along with simulating intraoperative reduction and fixation techniques using the models fabricated using 3D Printing. The authors confirmed that with the use of the 3D Printed Model, they were able to reduce time in the operating room, and blood loss, but require further studies to confirm it.