“This is a new era in thoracic wall reconstruction in patients with tumors that require bone-cartilage structures to be cut. The individually designed model provides very precise implantation at the site of the removed rib in anatomical unity with adjacent tissues. The implant is produced in Bulgaria by 3Dbgprint with the help of a specialized professional 3D printer with the possibility of printing with great precision. Galina Kirova in the Clinic of Imaging Diagnostics, a digital model and the necessary file for three-dimensional printing were prepared. Through a preliminary 3D visualization by the team of Prof. The three-dimensional modeling and printing of the implant, which should replace the rib, provides absolute anatomical compatibility and precision in implantation. The new rib is made from a synthetic copolymer biocompatible material approved for use by the American Food and Drug Administration. A surgery of this kind had never been done in Bulgaria, and on a global scale it had only been applied in a few other cases with a different material and a different localization. Tsvetan Minchev, Head of the Chest Surgery Clinic at Tokuda Hospital, applied the innovative method. It was in this part of the surgery that Assoc. The removal of the rib had to be followed by a plastic reconstruction procedure. The best solution was to remove the formation to prevent the possibility of fast malignant growth or complications such as breathing difficulties, frequent rib fractures, or involvement of the surrounding tissues, etc. Later, the histological results revealed a benign fibrous dysplasia. The medical examinations and the X-ray scans showed an osseous formation of unknown origin. The patient was a 35-year-old man with progressive deformity in the area of the fifth right rib accompanied by swelling.

The design of the 3D model and its visualization were conducted with the participation of the Bulgarian company 3Dbgprint providing 3D services. Within one month, after multiple tests, the team of 3Dbgprintmanaged to get successful results and to print the new rib. The 3D printed implant replaced the removed neoplastically changed rib. An innovative surgical procedure to reconstruct the rib of a patient was carried out by chest surgeons at Acibadem City Clinic Tokuda Hospital.

3d printed file stl ribs