A Warsaw technology company, Sygnis SA, specializing in 3D printing, has helped save the life of a newborn baby with a critically underdeveloped cranium by printing an exact model of her skull to help doctors operate.
With the discovery that the child would be born without a fully developed occipital bone, leaving her brain tissue partially exposed, and with an operation being needed within four days of the girl’s birth, Sygnis was approached to produce a prototype to help visualize the area of missing bone and accurately foresee the conditions the surgeons would face during the operation.
The Sygnis team completed and delivered the model to doctors within 26 hours.
Professor Łukasz Krakowczyk, who carried out the operation, said: "Imaging tests helped determine the skull bone defect. However, they did not perfectly correspond with the skin defect, so a 3D model was crucial."
A 3D printed model will also be invaluable at reconstructing the skull bone when there is a need for a perfect fit and planning to rebuild the bone.
