New Jersey doctors use 3D printer to help save man with deteriorating skull
A 3D printer helped save the life of a New Jersey man whose skull was crumbling.
The Navy veteran hopes others can learn from his battle.
3D printer used to create "perfect puzzle piece" of patient's skull
Greg Morrison, 63, first suffered a brain bleed two years ago, which required two surgeries, and a then third when a brain tumor was discovered.
After the three brain surgeries, the engineer and Navy veteran received not-so-great news.
"My skull that they had put back was starting to deteriorate," he said.
As part of his skull was caving in, his neurosurgeon, Dr. Nitesh Patel of Jersey Shore University Medical Center, got to work.
His team was able to construct a 3D model of Morrison's skull and then use the 3D printer to create a replacement piece for the decaying fragment.
"We can take a CAT scan [that] replicates Greg's anatomy in 3D, take that, identify the defect of what's missing, print out a perfect puzzle piece," Patel said.
Patel said the biggest challenge was timing.
"In Greg's case, not only were we able to beat the time factor, but we also were able to modify the anatomy," he said.
Jersey Shore native fully recovered from surgery
The Jersey Shore native has fully recovered since his final surgery in November, and he's now back at work.
"Very few patients can go through what he went through and come out looking this good," Patel said.
Morrison even came away from the surgery with a souvenir – the original 3D-printed replica of his skull.
"How it makes me feel is joyous that I'm able to sit there and have a replicant of me," Morrison said.
Morrison hopes his story serves as inspiration for those battling a fight that seems impossible to win.
"I truly want people, no matter how challenging the obstacle is, to know there's hope," he said.
