3D printing is about broadening the horizons of what is possible. In this event recap, we look at how 3D printing improves care for veterinary applications.  The panelists of our 3DHEALS event bring new and unique perspectives to our community from the growing 3D pet care field.

Extending 3D printing for humans to pets and other animals

Many advantages 3D printing offers for human patient care also apply to our pets. Still, it takes pioneers to transfer these advantages to a wide range of species and adapt them to the veterinary workflow.  Dr. Yu-Hui Huang, a Radiology Resident at the University of Minnesota and Adjunct Faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is formally trained to care for human patients but was motivated to take the innovations in 3D printing for humans to treat her dog, who had chondroblastic osteosarcoma.

Using CT scans of her dog Chubbs and her experience in 3D printing for human treatment planning, Dr. Huang segmented the cranium, tumor, and mandible to print a model for Chubbs.  This model ultimately changed the veterinarian’s initial plan and also gave them a reference to use during the surgery.  A clip from our event below shows Dr. Huang’s model.

To adapt 3D printing for veterinary medicine, Dr. Andrew Worth, Associate Professor and Registered Specialist in Small Animal Surgery at the Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, talked about how human surgeries use fiducial markers and 3D camera arrays to aid in pedicle screw surgery for the spine.  However, such techniques are uncommon in veterinary medicine, so they used 3D printing to create patient-specific implants designed to act as their guide, avoiding important neural structures and putting the device in the correct position.

Incorporating advancements in 3D printing technology to fit human and veterinary clinical workflows will be essential for greater adoption.

Visualizations central to success

Visualizations that provide greater insight into the patient’s anatomy are an essential advantage of having a 3D perspective.

Dr. Kalman Czeibert, Head of R&D at LimesVet, talked about their patient-specific trochlear cap prosthesis, a titanium alloy-printed implant that fits on the patient’s trochlea and allows the knee cap to properly interface with it.  Dr. Czeibert demonstrated how they really leveraged 3D visualizations to create surface renderings of the bones of the joint as well as thickness and density heatmaps to help them perform the surgery.

The ability to see in 3D not only helps veterinarians’ current work but also expands the range of species that can be treated. For example, Dr. Worth primarily cared for dogs and cats, so when he encountered a case involving a chimp, he used 3D printing to create anatomical models to better prepare for the surgery and increase the chances of improved outcomes.

Repeatability and leading the way

It is important to repeatedly create high-quality implants from patient to patient. Alexander Tholl, Co-Founder and CEO of 3DPets, talked about how the method for creating full-limb prostheses for dogs can be a failure-prone process. It involves bending plastic onto a plaster mold representing the dog’s body and creating a rigid prosthesis that does not ensure a proper fit for the patient.

Tholl and his business partner Adam Hecht decided to formulate a solution that instead used 3D scans, which allowed them to design the structure and breathability of the prostheses.  However, when it came to 3D printing, companies they spoke to told them the required level of complexity and flexibility could not be achieved.  Undeterred, they decided to push forward, looking into flexible materials that they had been advised wouldn’t work and eventually printing a product that provided better outcomes for the patient.

Tholl and his colleagues highlight the resilience of 3D printing innovators to break conventional wisdom on what can be achieved. They focus on improving current workflows rather than being bound by printing limitations. With an improved process, the company has expanded to ducks, tortoises, goats, and other animals, capturing a larger market opportunity with reproducible technology.

Another essential consideration for reproducibility is reducing foreign body reactions and the likelihood of infection following implantation.  Dr. Johnny Uday, a veterinary medicine doctor experienced in 3D printing, pointed out that mechanisms to reduce biofilm formation (smooth surfaces, copper/silver coatings, and others) may not entirely prevent bacterial adhesion/film growth.  Dr. Uday described his experience implanting a titanium device for a cat with leg amputations.  The skin started to shrink and led to recurring infections, but Dr. Uday mentioned some key ways to resolve these problems:

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About the Author:

Peter Hsu

Peter Hsu is an editorial intern for 3DHEALS.  He is currently an undergraduate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and studies bioengineering with a focus on cell and tissue engineering.  He is also minoring in computer science with interests in artificial intelligence and image processing.  Peter conducts research on using computer vision methods to analyze human tissue images and improving the robustness of machine learning workflows.  He is interested in the use of AI to assist tissue engineering and bioprinting research for medical applications.  He is passionate about science communication and leads STEM outreach lessons at schools in the central Illinois area.

Related Links:

3D Printing for Animals (On Demand, 2021)

3D Printing Veterinary Medicine – A Guide

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