The 3D honeycomb-shaped titanium alloy piece which is successfully
transplanted into the leg of a patient suffering from bone cancer
from Quang Ngai by HCM City's Cho Ray Hospital. (Photo: VNA)
According to Le Van Tuan, head of the orthopaedic trauma department at the
hospital, this is a completely new technique and was successfully applied for
the first time at Cho Ray Hospital in particular and in Vietnam in general.
In 2019, a 33-year-old man from central Quang Ngai province had surgery at the
hospital to remove a tumour growing on his left tibia, which resulted in him
having limited movement in the knee. The surgery, however, left him with a gap
of about 11cm in the tibia.
To avoid any risk and inconvenience from conventional surgery, doctors decided
to use a 3D honeycomb-shaped titanium alloy piece to replace the tibial segment.
Just four days after surgery, the patient was able to stand and practice
walking. He is expected to be able to walk normally after 5-6 months.
Tuan said that the advantage of this technology is that the piece is created to
fit into the missing bone.
The “honeycomb” holes also lead bone cells to multiply and develop, gradually
turning the piece into a part of the body that is not rejected, as is usually
the case with metals, he added.
Source: VNA