World’s First 3D ‘Living Ear’ Onto a Rare Birth-Defected Patient

A patient born with a misshapen ear has now got a surgically implanted 3D-printed ‘living ear’. The ground-breaking procedure will eventually give the woman a properly formed ear which will be made with her cells. Revolutionary surgery is currently a part of an ongoing trial. It is yet to undergo various safety checks before it is permitted into the general medical repertoire.

Commendable Milestone in Surgery

The biotechnology company behind the making of this innovative technique is named 3D Bio. This is the first time that a company has printed a whole, living, engineered construct and implanted it into a patient to replace a body part that the patient was either born without or has lost due to trauma or disease.

This surgery is a promising achievement for patients with microtia, which is a congenital defect that leads to underdeveloped ears. The rare medical condition affects an estimated one to five of every 10,000 births. The 20-year-old woman who has got this revolutionary surgery is also suffering from microtia.

The technology has come across as quite impressive as surgeons across the globe are now discussing its benefits.

Pediatric ear reconstructive surgeon Arturo Bonilla said, “As a physician who has treated thousands of children with microtia from across the country and around the world, I am inspired by what this technology may mean for microtia patients and their families”.

Improve Your Self Esteem With Your Own Cells

This new technique could ease the treatment of microtia which currently requires invasive techniques, including harvesting rib cartilage to build the organ.

The pediatric surgeon believes such a technique could be life-changing for kids born with microtia as appearance is quite important in the early years of life. He added that bullying or teasing can become a major issue.

Caring a little more for your image when you are a teenager was not thoughtful, and this started to bother researchers. This procedure will also improve self-esteem post-surgery.

Source-Medindia