The use of a 3D-printed prosthesis in a Great Hornbill

The advent of new technologies in medical imaging and 3D printing in recent years has made customization of surgical tools and implants more accessible, revolutionizing many surgical fields. In many human diseases, these implants have led to superior surgical outcomes and greatly improved patients&#...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPloS one Vol. 14; no. 8; p. e0220922
Main Authors Xie, Shangzhe, Cai, Bohong, Rasidi, Ellen, Yen, Ching-Chiuan, Hsu, Chia-da, Chow, Wai Tung, De Busscher, Virginie, Hsu, Li Chieh
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Public Library of Science 13.08.2019
Subjects
3D printing
Cancer
Carcinoma
Care and treatment
CAT scans
Diagnostic imaging
Diseases
Flumazenil
Great hornbill
Health aspects
Medical imaging equipment
Medical research
Parks
Prostheses and implants
Squamous cell carcinoma
Technology
Tomography
Wildlife
Singapore
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The advent of new technologies in medical imaging and 3D printing in recent years has made customization of surgical tools and implants more accessible, revolutionizing many surgical fields. In many human diseases, these implants have led to superior surgical outcomes and greatly improved patients' quality of life. Thus, it is of great interest to apply these technologies to the treatment of animal diseases. In this study, we report the use of computed tomography (CT) and 3D printing for the treatment of a Great Hornbill at Jurong Bird Park that was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the casque. A 3D printed prosthesis that perfectly fitted the subject was implanted to replace its resected casque. The subject exhibited natural eating behaviour with no post-operative complications. Using this case as an example, the positive outcomes suggest a great potential in applying these technologies to the treatment of other wildlife diseases.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0220922