It’s considered one of the most difficult parts of the reconstruction process — carving cartilage to make a new ear for children.
Now, University of Washington researchers are part of a team developing a much easier solution using 3D printing.
Previously, surgical residents practiced carving ear cartilage on a “bar of soap, carrot or apple,” according to this UW release — beta methods that were not incredibly accurate.
In the procedure, rib cartilage is taken from the child, which is then “carved” to help form the reconstructed ear — something that surgeons really have to nail to get right.
In the study, silicone models were printed from a mold off a CT scan, in which three experienced surgeons practiced carving and working with the material. All three preferred the 3D-printed method and recommended it as the training tool for medical students.
“It’s a huge advantage over what we’re using today,” said one of the study’s lead authors Angelique Berens, a UW School of Medicine otolaryngology — head and neck surgery resident, in the UW release.
“You literally take a bar of Lever 2000 while the attending is operating and you carve ear cartilage,” she continues. “It does teach you how to get the shape right, but the properties are not super accurate — you can’t bend it, and sewing it is not very lifelike.”
The surgery, called auricular reconstruction, is typically in high demand with a six- to 12-month wait list at Seattle Children’s, according to UW.
The researchers see the 3D-printed practice models as a game-changer, hopefully making it easier for more surgeons to master the procedure.
In addition to Berens, the team includes coauthors Sharon Newman, who graduated from the UW with a bioengineering degree, Craig Murakami, UW clinical associate professor and Virginia Mason Medical Center otolaryngologist, and David A. Zopf, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the University of Michigan. They will present their findings this week at the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery conference in Dallas.
