Abstract
The advent of new technologies in medical imaging and 3D printing in recent years has made customization of surgical tools and implants more accessible, revolutionizing many surgical fields. In many human diseases, these implants have led to superior surgical outcomes and greatly improved patients’ quality of life. Thus, it is of great interest to apply these technologies to the treatment of animal diseases. In this study, we report the use of computed tomography (CT) and 3D printing for the treatment of a Great Hornbill at Jurong Bird Park that was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the casque. A 3D printed prosthesis that perfectly fitted the subject was implanted to replace its resected casque. The subject exhibited natural eating behaviour with no post-operative complications. Using this case as an example, the positive outcomes suggest a great potential in applying these technologies to the treatment of other wildlife diseases.
Highlights
In recent years, combining medical imaging and 3D printing to create customized surgical guides and prostheses for human patients has become more common for a range of diseases [1,2,3]
The only abnormality on bloodwork was a mild elevation in creatine kinase (CK), using the species global references ranges provided by ZIMS/ Species360
Postoperative radiographs illustrated that the affected tissue was completely excised (Fig 7A and 7B)
Summary
In recent years, combining medical imaging and 3D printing to create customized surgical guides and prostheses for human patients has become more common for a range of diseases [1,2,3]. Multi-slice advanced medical imaging data, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can accurately reflect anatomical details of the scanned region and be converted to 3D volumetric models [4]. Based on these patient-specific 3D models, customized surgical tools can be created and perfectly fitted to the anatomy, allowing improved surgical planning that translates to superior surgical outcomes [5,6,7].
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