3D-Printing: Chinese Toddler Receives Skull Implant For Rare Congenital Disorder

Chinese toddler Hanhan was born with a rare congenital disorder known as hydrocephalus, a condition in which the brain fills with cerebrospinal fluids that are unable to properly drain from the skull; this has left the young girl's head three time's its normal size. Yet fortunately, doctor's have been able to create a 3D printed titanium implant to correct the rare birth defect.

The recent operation took place at the Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province in China, ABC News reports.

Dr. Gregory Lakin, who was not part of the medical team to correct the issue but an expert on the case, said her condition is causing a strain on her brain. "It's not draining properly and...leads to problems with the head, to swell," he noted, adding that if left untreated, "the brain will get thinner and stretched out."

Lakin went on to say that in the United States, most doctors would remove part of the skull, drain the fluid and then reimplant the piece of skull bone. Though this might result in a longer operation, the patient would be less likely to develop infection or rejection of the material.

Fortunately, the operation was successful. Surgeon's used 3D printing technology to create a titanium alloy skull that they set into HanHan's head, which took a total of 17 hours, according to the Daily Mail.

"Some of these kids are bedridden because they can't move," their head, said Lakin. "This [operation] gives the kid a more normal life to go out and play."

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