[E218]Surgeon uses 3D printed heart to improve surgery on five……
Surgeon uses 3D printed heart to improve surgery on five-year-old girl
A five-year-old girl, who had a life threatening heart condition has made a full recovery, thanks to an innovative technique used by a U.S. surgeon[外科医生] Dr Redmond Burke. In March, Mia Gonzalez was given just days to live. She had a rare heart malformation[畸形；变形], known as Fouble Aortic Arch, which restricts a person’s airflow[气流]. Doctors believed the condition was inoperable[不实用的；不能动手术的]. However, when a 3D model was made of the young girl’s heart, Burke managed to locate the problem, which he then went on to repair in the operating theatre[手术室].
It is much more compelling[引人注目的；强制的；激发兴趣的]. We need to feel things in our hands. It’s very powerful when you show a family their baby’s heart and explain how you’ll repair it.
Dr Redmond Burke from the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami
Three dimensional models[三维模型] take around nine hours to be made on a specialist printer. The patient’s organs are scanned by an MRI[核磁共振成像（Magnetic Resonance Imaging）] machine. They are then fed to a computer and the printer converts them into a 3D model. Each one costs around £400 to make. Mia has now made a full recovery and is taking part in sporting activities. Her mother says that after nearly five years of despair it’s a relief that her daughter is now on the mend[在好转中].