A three-year-old Chinese girl made medical history on July 15, 2015
when she became the first-ever recipient of a 3D printed skull.
‘Big head baby’ Han Han had a rare condition which made her head grow
up to four times the normal size. Congenital hydrocephalus is a birth
defect that causes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to build up on the brain
instead if draining away naturally and absorbed into the blood vessels.
Han Han was diagnosed with the disease on her sixth month which caused
her skull to grow up to 20cm x 20cm in size.
In addition, she developed other conditions ulcer and her optic nerve
was squeezed so hard that it almost drove to become blind. Because of
the size of head and her other health problems, Han Han became
bedridden.
Doctors at the Second People’s Hospital of Hunan Province in China
quoted to Han Han’s father, Chen Youzhi, that the operation would cost
him between 400,000-500,000 Yuan (approximately $64,000-$80,000). With
the help of family and friends, they were able to raise 100,000 Yuan,
but through online donations, the operation pushed through.
On July 15, surgeons at the hospital performed a 17-hour operation on
Han Han. Dr. Bo, chief surgeon during the operation, says that “if she
was not sent to hospital for treatment, she would not have survived the
summer. We had to first eliminate the infection in Han Han’s head
because the brain wound area was too large, and we needed to do skin
graft surgery and insert a shunt to help eliminate the infection, and
remove the fluid from her brain.”
Upon seeing Han Han, surgeons at the hospital decided to perform a
“whole brain shrinking plastic surgery.” It involves the removal of her
scalp, full 3D reconstruction and 3D printing of a new titanium skull,
repositioning of the brain, and removal of the excess CSF fluid.
To the relief of her family, the operation was a success. As she grows up, the titanium implants will become surrounded by her bone, strengthening the top of her skull. The surgeons expect that the she will make a full recovery.
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