South Africa has again pioneered in a world’s first surgical procedure. The Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, conducted a middle ear transplant using 3D technology.
Specialists performing transplant surgery on a patient born with underdeveloped middle ear, replacing hammer, anvil, stirrup & ossicles that make up the middle ear. 3D-printing technology is used to print these bones and is used in surgery to reconstruct the ossicles. pic.twitter.com/iyLqMedQ4O
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) March 13, 2019
In 1967 Dr Chris Barnard performed the world’s first human to human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.
Going under the knife in this ground-breaking medical procedure, experts believe they may have found an answer to conductive hearing loss. These middle ear problems are caused by birth defects, infections, trauma or metabolic disease. Millions of people with hearing impairments will benefit.
Professor Mashudu Tshifularo from the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Health Sciences says the procedure will help a lot of people and will be affordable.
“It’s a new technology, a new development which can be used in any patient. Sometimes, if we take a CT scan or X-ray of your brain, we can see the bones that are broken or damaged and recreate them exactly as they are. So it will help a lot and it will be affordable.”
At Steve Biko Academic Hospital in conversation with Professor Mashudu Tshifularo who, together with his team, developed a pioneering surgical procedure using 3D-printed middle ear bones at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Health #WeCare #GautengATWork pic.twitter.com/zRvnJUFeLl
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) March 13, 2019
The surgery can even be performed on newborns and carries fewer risks. The surgical procedure has only been carried out in South Africa and Professor Tshifularo says that they are very excited about being pioneers.
“I think the main basis is that we are excited that is the pioneering is the first in the world, so even if the rest of the world will come, but they’ll always acknowledge that we started and we’ll always be two, three steps ahead of them.”
While hearing loss is a natural part of ageing, it could also occur as a result of accident, disease or infection. But with professor Tshifularo’s pioneering surgical procedure, all these could be managed.
3D- printed total middle ear transplant also aims to simplify the reconstruction of ossicles during middle ear procedures, such as ossiculoplasty and stapedectomy in order to increase the chance of success with minimal intrusion trauma.
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) March 13, 2019
According to South African Hearing Institute, our hearing ability naturally declines from age 30/ 40. By age 80, more than half of humans will suffer from significant hearing loss. While hearing loss is natural part of ageing, it could occur as a result of disease or infection.
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) March 13, 2019
2) “We will use titanium for this procedure, which is biocompatible. We use an endoscope to do the replacement, so the transplant is expected to be quick, with minimal scarring,” Prof Tshifularo.
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) March 13, 2019
