Salzburg University Hospital performs surgery using 3D Systems technology

3D Systems has announced that the University Hospital of Salzburg (Austria) has applied the company’s portfolio of point-of-care additive manufacturing technologies to design and produce its first 3D-printed PEEK cranial implant as a custom device for an individual patient need.

These technologies were brought together by the hospital’s in-house clinicians to successfully address the patient’s needs. The hospital used Oqton’s D2P software to create 3D models from the patient's CT images and Oqton’s Geomagic Freeform to complete the design of the patient-specific occipital prosthesis.

The cranial implant was printed using VESTAKEEP i4 3DF PEEK by Evonik on 3D Systems’ Kumovis R1 extrusion platform. PEEK is a very desirable material for the production of medical devices because it is lightweight, resistant to thermal and ionizing radiation, and possesses mechanical properties similar to those of human bone. The Kumovis printing platform was specifically designed to enable this type of point-of-care application within the hospital. 

The adoption of 3D-printed cranial implants is expected to accelerate significantly based on technological advancements. According to a report released by Acumen Research and Consulting in February 2023, the cranial implants market size in 2021 was roughly $1.2 billion and is anticipated to approach $2.1 billion by 2030. Cranial implants can address a breadth of applications including trauma, defects, and reconstruction. Advances in technology — including materials and manufacturing methodologies such as 3D printing — are anticipated to provide new solutions to help drive growth in this market. 

In commenting on this surgery, Dr. Jeffrey Graves, president and CEO of 3D Systems commented, “We are thrilled for Mr. Trummer and the relief this procedure has given him, and deeply indebted to the talented surgeons and staff at Salzburg University Hospital who brought together for the first time our unique software, hardware, and materials technologies in a point-of-care hospital setting to address his specific needs. We believe that this success provides a real-life demonstration of the potential for enhancing orthopeadic outcomes through the use of comprehensive digital manufacturing technologies in a hospital setting. Our focus on point-of-care implementation of these integrated technologies is a key priority for our company, and one that we believe will bring significant benefits to patients around the world in the years ahead.” 

3D Systems has worked with surgeons for over a decade to plan more than 150,000 patient-specific cases, and additively manufacture more than two million implants and instruments for 100+ CE-marked and FDA-cleared devices from its FDA-registered, ISO 13485-certified facilities in Littleton, Colorado, and Leuven, Belgium.