3D printing may save your life if you need risky surgery

3D-printed titanium implant, which mimics the properties of real bone, was used on the patient in place of a complex osteotomy. Photos: Pusat Perubatan Universiti UKM

In a split second, her life was changed forever. A car crash, followed by a seven-and-a-half hour surgery. Her left eye couldn’t be saved. Intense scarring had also altered the skull around the area, leaving her with a facial defect she thought she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

To top it all off, she began suffering from severe headaches.