3D printed bone models utilized in surgery to restore hearing

Australian scientists have demonstrated the utility of 3D printed bone models to aid surgery to implant an active bone conduction system to restore hearing. Scientists from institutions in Sydney, Australia have demonstrated that utilizing 3D printed models of temporal bones provided a “statistically significant benefit” in difficult surgeries involving the implantation of an active bone conduction system to restore hearing. The BoneBridge (MED-EL; Innsbruck, Austria) involves conducting sound waves via bone directly to the inner ear, where they are processed as natural sound, in patients that have has loss of hearing. However, part of the implant is very bulky, making...