Scientists have invented a new ultrasonic 3D printing technology, which can realize direct printing in implanted objects.
CTOnews.com, December 11 (Xinhua)-- traditional surgical procedures often require surgery, which will not only cause trauma to patients, but also take a long time to recover. In order to achieve minimally invasive surgery, scientists have been looking for new techniques. Recently, an ultrasonic 3D printing technology called Deep penetrating Acoustic Volume Printing (DAVP) has been developed, which is expected to significantly reduce surgical invasion by injecting implants into the body in liquid form and then solidifying them where needed.
Printed in the heart model solidified acoustic ink structure (red) according to CTOnews.com, the most common 3D printing technology is to build three-dimensional objects by depositing viscous materials layer by layer and solidifying them. Another technique called volume printing is to add photosensitive resin to the container and then solidify it through light. However, these techniques have limitations, such as the inability of light to penetrate skin and biological tissues, which limits their application in vivo.
To overcome these limitations, scientists at Duke University and Harvard Medical School invented DAVP technology. The technique uses a biocompatible "ink" called sonic ink, which heats and solidifies when it absorbs ultrasonic pulses. In theory, the sonic ink can be solidified into the desired shape by injecting the sonic ink to the location where the implant is needed, and then using an external probe to emit the ultrasound, and the rest can be taken out with a syringe.
The advantage of DAVP technology is that first of all, it is non-invasive, and it can print implants directly in the body without surgery, which greatly reduces surgical trauma. In addition, it can be customized and personalized implants can be designed and printed according to the specific conditions of patients. Finally, there is versatility, which can print different types of implants, such as bones, cartilage, blood vessels and so on.
DAVP left atrial appendage researchers have successfully conducted several experiments using DAVP technology to close goat hearts, including blocking incisions in goat hearts, repairing chicken leg bone defects, and printing chemotherapeutic drug dispensing hydrogels in liver tissue.
"this technology is expected to lead to many new applications in surgery and treatment, which traditionally require very invasive and destructive methods," said Junjie Yao, an associate professor at Duke University. "this work opens up exciting new avenues for the 3D printing world, and we are pleased to explore the potential of this technology with you."
The findings were published in a recent issue of the journal Science.
