Pioneering 3D ear surgery

HEALTH Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has paid tribute to Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team at the University of Pretoria (UP) for a pioneering surgical procedure which uses 3D-printed middle ear bones for conductive hearing loss rehabilitation.

Tshifularo on Wednesday led the team in successfully performing a nearly two-hour transplant surgery on their first patient, Thabo Moshiliwa, aged 40, who damaged his middle ear bone in a car accident.

Motsoaledi has urged donors and development partners, especially the business community, to support the innovation which he described as “South Africa’s scientific breakthrough”.

“The Department of Health will do everything in our power to assist and mobilise resources to make sure Professor Tshifularo gets all the help he needs,” Motsoaledi said.

The ground-breaking surgery was done at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.

The department said the procedure, which can also be performed on newborns, could be the answer to conductive hearing loss, a middle ear problem caused by congenital birth defects, infection, trauma or metabolic diseases.

It uses 3D-printing technology to effectively replace the hammer, anvil and stirrup (ossicles) – the smallest bones in the body – that make up the middle ear.

Tshifularo, who is head of the department of otorhinolaryngology at UP, said this innovation poses less risk than others.

“By replacing only the ossicles that aren’t functioning properly, the procedure carries significantly less risk than known prostheses and their associated surgical procedures,” he said.

“We will use titanium for the procedure, which is biocompatible. We use an endoscope to do the replacement, so the transplant is expected to be quick, with minimal scarring.”

“3D technology is allowing us to do things we never thought we could. But I need sponsors and funding for this invention to take off the ground,” he added.

The South African Hearing Institute said hearing ability naturally declines from age 30 or 40.

By age 80, more than half of humans suffer significant hearing loss. |