A new face
January 27, 2015 6:39 AM Subscribe
Violet Pietrok was born with a Tessier Cleft, a skull defect. Surgeons at Boston Children's Hospital used 3-D prints of her skull to practice before cutting into Violet's own skull to repair the damage.
Even before reading the article, this just sounds like a fantastic idea.
posted by MexicanYenta at 7:32 AM on January 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by MexicanYenta at 7:32 AM on January 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
This is exactly what I needed to read about this morning to restore my appreciation for so many things. Great find, thank you.
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:58 AM on January 27, 2015
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:58 AM on January 27, 2015
I freakin love the future.
posted by Twain Device at 8:04 AM on January 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Twain Device at 8:04 AM on January 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
This really is unfuckingreal. It's been so much fun over especially the last few years to sit back every once in a while and just not be able to say anything smarter than "wow."
posted by nevercalm at 8:10 AM on January 27, 2015
posted by nevercalm at 8:10 AM on January 27, 2015
My father (an ENT doctor) used to use carrot slices to practice deviated septum and other nasal surgeries. With a scalpel on a plate in front of the TV. He would eat his mistakes.
posted by sexyrobot at 8:24 AM on January 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
posted by sexyrobot at 8:24 AM on January 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
There was a terrific recent New Yorker piece on "How 3-D Printing is Revolutionizing Medicine." I'm not sure if it's paywalled or not.
posted by yoink at 8:56 AM on January 27, 2015
posted by yoink at 8:56 AM on January 27, 2015
Here in the UK, there's currently a magazine available that lets you collect the parts to build a 3D printer. It's only a few quid, and it blows my mind a little that young children will have access to something like a 3D printer. In the next 10-15 years, I think we're going to see an explosion of invention and new technology, because so many people now have access to things that enable them to create. Kids can knock things up in their own bedrooms and get the stuff they need cheaply.
Not quite on the same level as repairing someone's skull, but still pretty cool.
posted by Solomon at 10:27 AM on January 27, 2015
Not quite on the same level as repairing someone's skull, but still pretty cool.
posted by Solomon at 10:27 AM on January 27, 2015
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posted by Halloween Jack at 6:50 AM on January 27, 2015 [1 favorite]