Researchers print a skull in 3D for a dog that has lost some of its cancer

A nine year old dog has a new skull and a life without cancer through 3D printing.

Patches, the dachshund hit by cancer, feels better thanks to researchers at a Canadian university.

Dr. Michelle Oblak, a veterinary oncologist at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, worked with Cornell University's Galina Hayes, a small animal surgeon, to clear the tumor that was developing on Patches' skull. They replaced the missing skull piece with a 3D printed plate, manufactured by medical technology company Adeiss.

The university said the procedure was a first veterinarian in North America.

The 9-year-old dog had a large cancerous tumor on her forehead that was growing dangerously close to her cerebral orbit. According to the university, she was so big that she started to weigh on her head and grow in her skull.

Oblak mapped the dog's tumor using rapid prototyping and 3D-printed implants for reconstruction. She performed removal of the tumor on a 3D model of the skull and patches tumor.

"I was able to do the operation even before entering the operating room," she said in a statement from the university.

Oblak praised the technology, adding that the plate used to replace the Patches skull was designed specifically for her.

"What was really interesting in this case was that we could instead take these scans and create a plate perfectly adapted to this dog," she said.

Without 3D printing, creating the plate is a more generic process. The titanium mesh is molded into a general model, which is then modified for the patient.

"[3D printing] "We are focusing more on an implant designed for everyday use that requires modification for a patient than on a patient-specific implant designed directly for them," said Oblak.

Oblak mentioned the possibility of using this technology on humans.

"What's really great is that we are able to use this advanced technology in our animal patients, but we will also be able to provide valuable information so that it can be used as well." in humans, "she says.

Doctors have used 3D printing in humans for purposes such as rebuilding jaws and vertebrae, and 3D models have also been used to plan major surgeries.

As for Patches, she has six months without cancer and her operation has been a success, said her owner, Danielle Dymeck. Regardless of the operation, Patches slipped a disc in his back shortly after the procedure, but Dymeck's attitude is still positive.

"She was just ready to become a dog again," said Dymeck of Patches recovery. "Cancer research, as they do, is very important for humans and animals."