Patrycja Szymczyk
Wrocław University of Science & Technology, Poland
Title: Additive manufacturing of porous structures for medical applications
Biography
Biography: Patrycja Szymczyk
Abstract
The development of modern medicine is possible through extensive cooperation of interdisciplinary teams, bringing the latest achievements in many fields of science, to implement new methods, materials and technologies. Regeneration of large tissue defects caused by tumour resection or lost as a result of accidents is one many challenges faced by surgeons. Individualized (custom-made) implants, shape-fitting patients’ anatomies, are now easier to obtain thanks to modern computerised technologies, such as additive manufacturing (AM). Advanced 3D-printed implants eliminate the need for traditional treatments utilising autogenous one transplants with additional surgery site or conventional implants, and lower the risk of infections or implant loosening due to incomplete geometric adjustment. One of the main advantages of additive manufacturing is in fact the capability of producing objects with complex geometries and varying mechanical parameters in their different zones. Bone-replacement biomechanical functional structures (BFS) with diversified structure may be used to fill bone defects resulting from injuries or diseases and offer an effective method of counteracting existing dysfunctions of a patient. Designing and manufacturing of BFS structures for medical applications is an innovative and interdisciplinary issue, which becomes more and more popular but requires further research and development.