3D printing can be truly life changing. One Israeli OR director has already seen people’s lives changed in unimaginable ways

Photos: Elchanan Kotler

While 3D printing technology is being used in many industries, it has particular impact in the medical field. A 3D “printer” can create custom-made prosthetic limbs, specialized surgical tools, or organ facsimiles used to help doctors prepare for complex, invasive procedures. 3D printed anatomical models from patient scan data are becoming increasingly useful tools in today’s practice of personalized, precision medicine, as visual and tactile reference models can enhance understanding and communication within operating teams and with patients.

Healthcare professionals, hospitals, and research organizations across the globe are using 3D printed anatomical models as reference tools for preoperative planning, mid-operative visualization, and sizing or pre-fitting medical equipment for both routine and highly complex procedures. And Israeli hospitals, for their part, are making sure they’re in the game.

Dr. Dina Orkin, director of Sheba Medical Center’s operating rooms and of their 3D lab, says that not long after the lab was up and working, she had an opportunity to implement and experience the amazing potential of this technology first-hand. A five-year-old little fellow named Omer was stricken with Ewing sarcoma, a type of cancer that forms in bone and soft tissues. His oncologists, who had scheduled him for surgery to remove the diseased thigh bone, gave a hopeful prognosis for his survival, but it would necessitate amputation of his leg.

“This is one of the areas where 3D printing can be truly life changing,” Dr. Orkin says as she holds up a 3D-printed mold of the bone. The technology, which is also being implemented by Ichilov Hospital, Beilinson Hospital, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, and other medical centers in a country that prides itself on cutting-edge advancements, is particularly significant in the field of orthopedic oncology, whose greatest challenge is the high precision required to excise malignant bone tumor, which must be completely removed in order to prevent a relapse and metastases.

“It’s done by combining MRI, ultrasound, and CT imaging to produce a file that can be processed by a 3D printer,” she explains in layman’s terms. “In this case, we printed a mold (think cake pan) that corresponds exactly to the affected bone, filled it with surgical cement and voilà — a precise ‘custom-made’ femur, perfectly suited to the patient. After rehab, this child will be able to stand on his feet, walk, and even run. He’ll have the gift of a childhood.”