3D printing used in treatment of Hong Kong patients with bow legs
Technology helps people avoid long spells in hospital
The latest 3D printing technology is helping correct bow legs without the need for patients to undergo lengthy hospital stays and painful treatment or spend months with large metal frames pinned to their legs.
Four Hong Kong patients have so far been treated using the new technique, and Dr Liu King-lok, who led the study at Chinese University, said: "This is a very big trial which has achieved very positive results."
In 3D printing, objects are made by layering materials until the desired effect is achieved. In this case, a 3D printer is used to make replicas of a patient's deformed bones, allowing doctors to design specific sets of instruments that fit the bones accurately.
The instruments are then used in an operation to fix plates and screws inside the body to correct the bow legs, which can be caused by several factors.
"This has profound implications for the technology to be applied in other bone surgery," said Liu, who carried out the study while working as a clinical assistant professor at the university but has since moved into private practice.
The traditional procedure for correcting bow legs requires the patient to wear a large external frame which would be pinned to the bone through their skin.