British rider regained his face with the help of 3D printing

The British rider, who received serious injuries of facial bones during the accident, was done innovative surgery on face recovery with the help of 3D-printing. Stephen Power from Cardiff, Wales, was one of the first patients in the world to undergo such surgery.

British man, 29, received multiple injuries in an accident in 2012. Despite of protective helmet, his nose, both cheekbones, top jaw, and the skull were fractured, BBC reports.

For reshaping the patient's face doctors carried out surgery with the help of printed models, plates and implants. A group of physicians fromMorriston Hospital in Swansea (Wales) usedCT scans to create and print a symmetrical 3D model of Mr Power's skull, followed by cutting guides and plates printed to match. Titanicimplant was used for fixing the position of his bones.

For reshaping the patient's face the surgeons had to break his cheekbones again. Total duration of the surgery was eight hours.

According to the patient, «the surgery results totally changed his life».

Maxillofacial surgeon Adrian Sugar says that results of the surgery are incomparable to anything he had done before. Design engineer Sean Peel said the latest advance should encourage greater use of 3D printing in the NHS.

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