Future Science Group

As the field of 3D printing grows, we are seeing it put to an increasing number of uses in medicine. The technology has been successfully employed to create a number of scaffolds and implants, as well as to generate personalized anatomical models to be used for surgical planning and patient education. Recently, the field has expanded to include the generation of 3D antenatal models. Generated from a fetal MRI scan, these models enable detailed planning for any interventions required after birth, for example when a child is born with a facial disfigurement. In addition, 3D printed personalized medical devices such as breathing masks are now being trialed, in the hope that they may be used in the clinical setting to provide patients with more successful treatments. In this interview, Kyle VanKoevering, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Michigan (MI, USA), discusses his work utilizing 3D printing for surgical planning for infants and in the construction of personalized mask