Ronak Shah and Sabyasachi Ghosh, of Future Market Insights, questions whether 3D printing technology holds the potential to transform the personalised manufacturing landscape of spinal organs for tumour replacement and complex deformity surgery
The disruptive capabilities of 3D printing technology, or additive manufacturing, are being leveraged in prototyping of dental implants and custom prosthetics. While this can be traced back to the 1990s, 3D printing technology continues to discover ample applicability in the medical and healthcare industries. Once an ambitious dream in the pipeline, additive manufacturing technology has come a long way, banking on several R&D ventures that have made it what 3D printing technology is today. The technologically-abreast healthcare industry is poised to leverage it to a degree that perfectly complements the ‘minimally invasive’ trend in the surgical space.
As the wave of personalisation hits the healthcare industry, medical personnel worm their way into the 3D printing technology landscape, in an effort to harvest opportunities available in enhancing the patient care journey with utmost convenience and ease. Given the complex anatomy and sensitivity of spine, it is challenging for surgeons to reconstruct deformed bones with ‘of