end of the hearing aid? tiny 3d-printed \'bones\' could be implanted into the ears of deaf people to help them hear
by:Tuowei2019-09-02
Revolutionary 3D printing technology can provide the key to help deaf people hear their voices without hearing aids. Experts can now make replacement parts for fragile bones, known as the ossicle, which transmits external sound waves to the trolley nerves. Researchers hope these personalized devices will soon make hearing aids a thing of the past. Video producers at the University of Maryland in Baltimore have come up with the concept of using scanning a patient\'s ear to make a 3D printed prosthesis. At present, surgeons make them in the operating room, but they often fail because they are not suitable. By using CT imaging, the team was able to make detailed measurements of a person\'s ears and create customized synthetic bones using a standard 3D printer. Dr. Jeffrey Hirsch. The authors of the study said: \"The small ossicles are very small structures, and one reason for the high failure rate of surgery is considered to be due to incorrect prosthesis size. If you can customize To design a more precise prosthesis, the success rate of surgery should be higher. \"Hearing works by transmitting the vibration of the outside world to the eardrum and Cochlear -- Sensory organs of hearing The ears are done by three small bones known as the hearing bone. The hearing loss of the small bone conduction is a hearing loss caused by the damage of these bones (usually due to trauma or infection. This affects the sound channel between the eardrum and the inner ear, and the sound vibration does not reach the Cochlear. At present, surgical reconstruction using stainless steel pillars and ceramic cups is the focus of treatment. In this study, the researchers removed the ossicular bone from the three bodies and performed a CT scan to obtain specific measurements. They then use a 3D printer to create a copy to replace the bones they remove. The prosthetic limb is made of a resin that is hardened under an ultraviolet laser. Four surgeons were part of a blind study that inserted each prosthesis into each middle ear and did not know which body it was designed to fit. They were asked to match each prosthesis with its correct source without any prior knowledge. All four surgeons were able to correctly match the prosthesis model with the expected temporal bone Contains bones in the middle and inside of the ear. Dr. Hirsch said that the probability of this happening randomly is 1 out of 1,296, adding: \"With these models, it is almost very appropriate. Combining CT scans with 3D printing not only increases the likelihood of fit, but also shortens the time of surgery. The next step is to make artificial limbs, both 3D- Printed prosthesis with stem cells. Dr. Hirsch added: \"You can punch it into a grid that allows stem cells to grow on it, instead of making the middle ear prosthesis firm. Stem cells mature into bones and become permanent fixtures for hearing loss patients.