A transplant success story from the University Hospital of Toulouse (CHU de Toulouse) and the Claudius Regaud Institute succeeded in giving a woman back her nose lost due to cancer. What’s even more interesting is that the nose was enlarged with a mold created using a 3D printer, which was then implanted in the forearm to develop the blood vessels. In other words, the nose grew on the patient’s arm without going where it belongs.
The patient was being treated for a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma that originated in the nasal cavity. His cancer was treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but unfortunately most of his nose and palate were damaged by the treatments.
Efforts have been made to replace the nose through reconstructions and facial prostheses, but none have been found suitable for the patient. Then a new technique using the latest technology was tried.
Scientists have managed to “recreate” the nose using 3D printing of a biomaterial used in medicine to replace all or part of organs and body tissues. Although the technique has been used before, it has never been tried as a nose augmentation method.
One of the obstacles they faced in nose augmentation was the lack of blood vessels. However, they were able to overcome this by 3D printing, placing the nose on the patient’s forearm. After spending two months on the forearm, the nose was cut with microsurgery and the vessels reconnected to the face developed its own blood circulation.
“The creation and 3D printing of the particularly fragile nose was made possible thanks to the collaboration between medical teams and the Belgian manufacturer Cerhum,” CHU de Toulouse wrote on Facebook. The article continued: “The transplant was successful today. After feeding from the forearm and two months of colonization of the medical device, the device was able to be transplanted into the nose area and successfully revascularized.”
Earlier this year, 3D printing was also used to create an ear for a patient with microtia, a rare congenital condition that causes underdevelopment or destruction of the outer ear. It is stated that the technique prevents implant rejection as well as obtaining a natural appearance.
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