3D Printing to Combat Hearing Loss

[Samir]

A new technique prints tiny middle ear bones for a perfect fit!

This is a bit of an old news from last December, but it's exciting development nevertheless, and Robert Jackler of Stanford university is mentioned in the article.

Using CT scans, researchers got an accurate picture of the three inner ear bones -- called ossicles -- and they printed exact models to fit in the ears of cadavers. The three bones are connected like links of a chain, said Hirsch. "When any link gets disconnected, you get conductive hearing loss."

One problem Hirsch and his colleagues haven't addressed is that during surgery, the bone's anatomy and relationships change, said Jackler. Because ear bone erosions often arise from infections, surgeons have to clean things out -- and that means that anatomy changes between a pre-operative CT scan and the operating room. One way to solve this may eventually include a scan and printer in the operating room to create custom-fitted ear bones in the middle of surgery.

https://www.insidescience.org/news/3-d-printing-combat-hearing-loss

It may seem like primitive and simplistic. After all, it's not a new way to grow hair cells, or nerve cells. But this is a very important step forward for those that have conductive hearing loss, and it carries challenges of its own.