Tackling microtia can be tricky. Scientists in China have created and grown new ears for children born with microtia , a defect that leaves the outer ear unformed or absent , using 3D printing . In the study , the team took cartilage samples from five patients , aged between six and nine years old , and used CT scanning and 3D printing to create a platform on to which they grew new ears from the samples . The study was highly successful in three of the patients . The team said the technology still had limitations and was expensive , but believed their work could become a routine procedure eventually .
Scientists in China have created and grown new ears for children born with microtia , a defect that leaves the outer ear unformed or absent , using 3D printing . In the study , the team took cartilage samples from five patients , aged between six and nine years old , and used CT scanning and 3D printing to create a platform on to which they grew new ears from the samples . The study was highly successful in three of the patients . The team said the technology still had limitations and was expensive , but believed their work could become a routine procedure eventually .