Transplanted 3-D Printed Titanium Skull Saves life of Female Hemorrhage Patient

Surgeons in South Korea have successfully transplanted a 3D printed skull into a 60-year-old woman suffering from a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage.

A Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the woman, who arrived in hospital after developing a sudden headache, showed that she was bleeding between the brain and the surrounding tissues, and required immediate surgery.


The team at the neurosurgery department of Chung-Ang University Hospital (CAUH; Seoul, South Korea) first tried to stop the bleeding, and then surgically removed part of the patient’s skull to ease the pressure from the swelling brain. As a result the brain collapsed and the woman needed a skull transplant to save her life. Technicians at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT; Gangwon, South Korea) used the CT scans of the woman’s skull and 3D printing techniques to create a customized reproduction of her skull using the metal titanium. The new skull was a perfect fit and the operation was successful.

Surgeons have used other materials and methods to replace and transplant parts of patients’ skulls, however 3D printed titanium is lightweight, strong, and can be modeled to fit the patient. The method is fast and cost-effective compared to other existing solutions. Surgeons have also used the technique to print and implant a three-part 3D printed titanium skull in a baby suffering from hydrocephalus, and a 3D plate in the skull of a young woman after a trauma accident.

Related Links:
Chung-Ang University Hospital
Korea Institute of Industrial Technology