Professor Tshifularo Pioneers World’s 1st Middle Ear Transplant Using 3D-Printed Bones

On 13 March, Prof Tshifularo performed the first middle ear transplant on a patient born with an underdeveloped middle ear, effectively replacing the hammer, anvil, and stirrup, the ossicles that make up the middle ear with 3-D printed bones. 3D-printing technology is used to print these bones, and then used in the surgery to reconstruct the ossicles. This surgical procedure using 3D-printed middle ear bones was developed by Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team at the University of Pretoria (UP) Faculty of Health Sciences, and may be the answer to conductive hearing loss, a middle ear problem caused by congenital birth defects, infection, trauma or metabolic diseases.

“By replacing only the ossicles that aren’t functioning properly, the procedure carries significantly less risk than known prostheses and their associated surgical procedures,” Prof Tshifularo explains. “We use titanium for this procedure, which is biocompatible. We use an endoscope to do the replacement, so the transplant is expected to be quick, with minimal scarring.”

According to the South African Hearing Institute, our hearing ability naturally declines from age 30 or 40. In fact, by age 80, more than half of humans will suffer from significant hearing loss. While hearing loss is a natural part of ageing, it could also occur as a result of disease or infection. It may also be inherited or be the result of physical damage to the ears or head.

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