Photo Courtesy of Michelle Oblak, University of Guelph
Patches is a 9-year-old dachshund that had been living with a brain tumor for months. Her owners had been told that the tumor was the size of an orange and growing into her skull, and if they didn't treat the pup it would be fatal...
"We called her our little unicorn because she had this bump on her head, but it would have killed her," Owner Danielle Dymeck said.
But Patches is okay now. She's doing great, actually. All thanks to 3D-printing technology.
On March 22, veterinary surgical oncologists at the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College were able to remove the cancerous tumor and replace it with a custom 3D-printed implant.
They had to replace about 70% of the surface of her skull, and researchers at the university are calling it a "major advancement" in veterinary medicine and surgery.
"Our hope is this is something that could be more widely available on a broad scale," Michelle Oblak, one of the oncologists said. "It went very well."
"These implants are the next big leap in personalized medicine that allows for every element of an individual's medical care to be specifically tailored to their particular needs," she added.
Thankfully, Patches is now cancer-free! Read her full story on the New York Times.