Smolensk Doctors Create New Jaw for Patient on a 3D Printer
The operation to install such an implant was performed for the first time in Russia's history.
A unique operation for Russia was performed at the Smolensk Regional Oncology Center. A patient with a severe illness had their lower jaw removed and replaced with a prosthesis manufactured using 3D printing. Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene was used to create the prosthesis.
Preparation for the operation took several months. Specialists created an accurate three-dimensional model of the patient's jaw, marked the resection zone on an artificial skull, and printed the implant. It replicates the removed fragment with micron precision. The operation itself lasted about six hours. All its stages were recorded on camera. The footage will now serve as a teaching aid for students.
Doctors note that such technologies open a new era in cancer rehabilitation, making it possible to return patients to a full life even after the most radical interventions.
