Materialise Employee 3D Prints Replica of Her Own Spine

Materialise Employee Vanessa Palsenbarg 3D printed a full size replica of her spine.

Diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 5, Vanessa has been through a lot in order to correct the curve in her spine, or to slow down its progression at least.

“Over the past 15 or so years though, as my spine seemed to have settled into its present severe (but surprisingly non-painful) curve, I stopped trying new things for fear of upsetting the balance,” Vanessa explains. “Upon seeing my x-rays, this hesitation and concern has been shared by many others as well, including orthopedic surgeons. But for the past few years, with the initial twinges of back pain slowly returning, I started to feel that it was time to start taking action once more.”

This when she turned to her company’s medical 3D printing department: “For a few years, I have been subtly (and not so subtly) hinting to the medical team that should they need a spine to play with in their software, I would be happy to supply them with one. Finally, they decided to take me up on my offer and off for a new CT scan I went, which was long overdue anyways.”

Following the 3D printing process, Vanessa got to remove the replica of her spine from the powder bed of the SLS device:

Vanessa believes that the model could help doctors and surgeons think of new methods to deal with her scoliosis. “I also have to admit that I can’t wait to see the look on the surgeon’s face when I walk in for a consultation holding a full sized replica of my spine,” she adds.