Posted in 3D Printing Application Surgeons have inserted a 3D - printed sternum into a six - year - old boy at Shanghai Children ’s Medical Center in China . The boy was suffering from one of the rarest congenital defects in the world . The sternum shell was made from a biocompatible PEEK material , which doctors said was suitable for the procedure and for follow - up treatments as it did not adhere to other materials . The patient , who was not expected to survive past his second birthday , will attend school for the first time in the near future .
Surgeons have inserted a 3D - printed sternum into a six - year - old boy at Shanghai Children ’s Medical Center in China . The boy was suffering from one of the rarest congenital defects in the world . The sternum shell was made from a biocompatible PEEK material , which doctors said was suitable for the procedure and for follow - up treatments as it did not adhere to other materials . The patient , who was not expected to survive past his second birthday , will attend school for the first time in the near future .