3D Custom-Made Implants Improving Craniomaxillofacial Patients Outcomes

In Germany, Karl Leibinger Medizintechnik, which manufactures surgical implants, now has metal 3D printing capability allowing it to create titanium implants for craniomaxillofacial surgery. While this doesn’t necessarily mean patients would look like Marvel Superhero Colossus with a visible metal head, face, and jaws, it does mean that patients can have an improved and more precise fit for their implants. Especially for reconstruction surgery, the 3D printing and additive manufacturing allows the company to produce very strong, biocompatible material that fuses with patient’s bones quickly. Surgeons can use MRIs or other imaging methods to get detailed patient anatomy, which Karl Leibinger Medizintechnik then uses as data points for the 3D printing of customized titanium implants for patients.