
Woman Receives the World's First 3D-Printed Skull - aaron987
http://www.lernabit.com/blog/post/woman-receives-the-worlds-first-3d-printed-skull
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mendort
Is 3D printing really enabling this? If they can make the measurements, I have
a hard time believing that an experienced machinist couldn't fabricate the
parts necessary. This seems more like a victory of measurement technologies
that allow the requirements for a replacement skull to be precisely mapped,
than a triumph of 3d printing. (Though I do admit that 3d printing would
probably be a lot cheaper than machining.)

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lwan
Absolutely. No "experienced machinist" can reasonably make this part within
spec. The time and cost for a CNC / operator / programming is exorbitant and
simply beyond the reach of most people.

3D printing in this context allows for the fabrication of complex geometries
that would be incredibly resource intensive otherwise.

You're correct in proposing that measurement techniques have enabled for this.
But what good are the measurements if your tools do not allow for you to
produce anything meaningful from the data?

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azinman2
I'm curious to know how they then attach that skull to the rest of her body.
Is there a skin transplant that somehow lives on top of plastic? Do they just
screw it into other bones to hold it into place? But what about the juncture,
and how can you ensure nothing gets in at that juncture?

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Dylan16807
Not a skin transplant, just the skin. "It is almost impossible to see that
she's ever had surgery"

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qnaal
so they've got it all stashed, and they just flop it back on???

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phyllostachys
My wife, a surgical technician, hasn't done surgeries like this before but has
mentioned how for other procedures (on the face, perhaps) that they fold back
the skin and then 'flop it back on'. It is crazy when she talks about stuff
she's seen/helped do.

I like to picture surgery to be very similar to working on a car, except the
pipes, wires, manifolds, etc are made of organic stuff.

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azinman2
But in this case how would the skin get fresh blood?

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Dylan16807
The blood vessels all run within the scalp, which is part of what helps it be
loose. Some run up the side and some come out next to the eyes, and nothing
has to go through the top half of the skull.

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spb
To be clear, they mean the first 3D-printed skull _to go in somebody 's head_.
We've all given people 3D-printed skulls before.

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bnomis
Related story about construction worker in China having half his skull
replaced with 3D printed titanium.
[http://shanghaiist.com/2014/09/16/man_recovers_after_3d-prin...](http://shanghaiist.com/2014/09/16/man_recovers_after_3d-printed_skull.php)

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jamessb
There have been several patients who had had custom implants designed using CT
scans of their skull, then 3D printed and surgically attached to replace part
of their skull: one nice report is
[http://thescipub.com/PDF/ajeassp.2011.169.174.pdf](http://thescipub.com/PDF/ajeassp.2011.169.174.pdf)

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Crito
> _" The operation was performed by a team of neurosurgeons at the University
> Medical Centre Utrecht and the university claims this is this first instance
> of a successful 3D printed cranium that has not been rejected by the
> patient."_

Oh man... having a skull implant rejected is horrifying. Having an arm or
something rejected is one thing (you probably just go back to how you were
going to be otherwise, more or less), but are there any backup plans if your
body rejects a skull implant?

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GreenGiant
Only donor tissue/bone is rejected. Non organic matter is not.

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Glyptodon
Hopefully it's tough enough that she doesn't get killed by something dumb like
a dictionary falling on her head.

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ludamad
I do wonder its relative strength to a human skull

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mattwad
It seems mean to give her a transparent skull, if that's the final product! I
mean, it's pretty cool but not if you want to feel "normal" :)

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sho_hn
I'd like to think they preserved her scalp / kept it in circulation and
returned it to its position, but I have no idea if skin can be kept alive
across this surface. Maybe that's what those holes in the printed piece are
about, though? Or are you concerned that even with skin on top it'd alter the
appearance due to different subsurface scattering?

Edit: Some additional info (note the English captions):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXcz3OdHSHk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXcz3OdHSHk)

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saalweachter
Yeah, I'd be incredibly shocked if they didn't preserve the scalp.

On the other hand, if she did have an exposed skull, I think there's like half
a century or more of media which says you pretty much have to leave it
transparent. You can always wear a wig or a baseball cap, but how else will
people know you as an incredible (evil) super-genius without the exposed
brain?

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XorNot
The obvious counter-argument is you couldn't walk in bright sunlight. Beam of
light at the wrong angle...

Then again that's probably why supervillains have dark lairs.

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coulix
I wonder what are all the holes for.

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maxerickson
A little more here:

[http://www.anatomics.com/products/cranial-
implants/acrylic/](http://www.anatomics.com/products/cranial-
implants/acrylic/)

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redwood
As an invisalign (also 3d printed, clear plastic) user, I wonder if she has to
take it out when she thinks?

