3D printing has all sorts of uses. Things as varied as bikinis, robots, and even mouse ovaries have been 3D printed before, and it might also be useful in veterinarian medicine.
Dr. Yu-Hui Huang and Dr. Stephanie Goldschmidt worked together in a recent case series published in the journal 3D Printing in Medicine, with inspiration from Huang’s dog Chubbs.
How They Did It
As part of Huang’s clinical anaplastology training, which involves prosthetics, she looked at how 3D printing could be used in the field. When Chubbs was diagnosed with maxillary chondroblastic osteosarcoma, she got to work.
Huang obtained Chubbs’ CT scan from Goldschmidt, the veterinary surgeon who worked with the pooch. She used segmentation software to segment the skull and tumor. She then printed it with a 3D printer, before painting the tumor red.
After using the 3D printer, Huang and Goldschmidt were able to decide on the best treatment for Chubbs – they decided to excise the tumor and use radiation rather than opt for more invasive surgery, and Chubbs did well for over a year after his treatment.
Huang and Goldschmidt also worked on an eight-year-old Boston Terrier who had a plasma cell tumor, and a six-month-old Labrador Retriever who had joint ankylosis.
The Rise of 3D Printing
Gradually, more vets are adopting 3D printing to help with everything from implants to prosthetics to tissue replacements. It’s cost-effective and any shape can be created, so it’s a great option.
Numerous materials can be used in 3D printing. They range from plastic and metal to ceramic, glass, resin, and nylon.
It’s more simple than you might think, too. Vets get 2D information from scans and X-rays and put it into computer-aided design, which virtually designs 2D models. These models are fitted and sized as needed, and then they’re sent to the 3D printer.
