Dr. Zhuang Jian is the director of 3D printing Laboratory of cardiovascular medicine in Guangdong Provincial People's hospital. Before congenital heart disease surgery, he and his team can print out the patient's heart model, reduce the operation judgment time and improve the treatment effect. At present, he has applied 3D printing technology to preoperative planning of hundreds of patients. As the name suggests, 3D printing technology does not print content on paper with ink, but prints three-dimensional things layer by layer in three-dimensional space. This emerging technology is accelerating its application in China's medical field, and the landing scene is becoming more and more extensive. "Xinhua viewpoint" reporter learned that many hospitals, including the Third Hospital of Peking University, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital and the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, have applied them to preoperative planning, surgical guide, human implantation, etc. 3D printing technology has been used in many hospitals 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, refers to manufacturing three-dimensional solid components from materials point by point, line by line and layer by layer in three-dimensional direction based on digital model. It is an innovative manufacturing technology. At present, metal 3D printing, polymer 3D printing, ceramic 3D printing and biological 3D printing technologies have been developed all over the world. It is reported that many hospitals across the country have had cases of the application of 3D printing technology. Such as the Third Hospital of Peking University, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, the Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to the Medical College of Shanghai Jiaotong University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, etc. According to the difficulty and depth, the application of 3D printing technology in medical treatment can be divided into four levels: preoperative planning and advance exercise, surgical guide plate and rehabilitation stent, orthopedic matching and human implantation, and living organ printing. At present, living organ printing is in preliminary exploration all over the world, and the first three are applied to varying degrees in China. In terms of preoperative planning and advance exercise, Huang Wenhua, Professor of Basic Medical College of Southern Medical University and director of Guangdong Key Laboratory of medical biomechanics, introduced that the results of traditional CT, MRI and other imaging examinations are two-dimensional data, and experienced doctors sometimes find it difficult to accurately grasp some complex cases. Using the data to print out the 3D solid model can make doctors intuitively and stereoscopically understand the local anatomical relationship of the lesion. Taking congenital heart disease surgery as an example, the situation of each patient is different. In the past, doctors had to observe and judge the condition one-third of the time of the whole operation, and ask other doctors for consultation in case of uncertainty. Using 3D printing technology, the patient's heart model can be printed before operation to make operation planning in advance. "From the diagnosis of the disease to the operation planning, and then to the reference during the operation, 3D printing technology is of great help to doctors, shortens the operation time and improves the treatment success rate," Zhuang Jian said. In terms of surgical guides and rehabilitation stents, Cai Daozhang, President of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University and director of the Institute of sports medicine of Guangdong Academy of orthopedics, introduced that the surgical positioning of patients with severe deformities is difficult, and the surgical guides can be printed out in 3D to guide accurate surgery. For cases of bone defect, personalized materials can be printed in 3D to repair the defect, making the prosthesis fixation more stable. Huang Wenhua said that the application of 3D printing technology in orthopedic implants is prominent. It can customize personalized implants according to different bone characteristics, so as to avoid the problems that standardized orthopaedic implants are difficult to fit with patients, which are easy to cause limited implant function, poor biomechanical effect and short service life. There are still many bottlenecks in large-scale applications Respondents said that although the application of 3D printing in the medical industry has accelerated in recent years, it needs to be improved in terms of technical maturity, social awareness and price acceptance. Huang Wenhua introduced that 3D printing needs to be further improved in terms of material diversity. The goal is that the printed organ model should be "anthropomorphic" as far as possible, including material, hand feeling and so on. Cai Daozhang said that the biomechanical performance of 3D printed bones is still inferior to that of forging. "Some joint facial positions cannot be printed with 3D technology. Some parts of the human body that will not wear can be printed with 3D, but the parts that will wear are forged." The 3D printing process, including image processing and object printing, takes a relatively long time. Some patients in urgent situations often have no time to use it. Therefore, the timeliness of the technology needs to be improved. Yin Xinli, deputy general manager of Zhuhai Saina Digital Medical Technology Co., Ltd., which develops 3D printing equipment and applications, said that at present, many doctors do not understand how color multi material soft and hard 3D printing technology is applied to medical treatment, which is highly recognized in hospitals in big cities, while doctors in grass-roots hospitals do not know much. In addition, respondents said that because 3D printing is a personalized customized product, the price is higher than other treatment methods, which also restricts the faster promotion of this technology. Zhuang Jian introduced that it takes 2900 yuan to print the heart model in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, and a total of 5900 yuan to print it. Some provinces have introduced charging standards for 3D printing technology. Zhuang Jian said that only by further reducing the cost can more patients use it without worries. Experts suggest increasing R & D and strengthening talent training Shi Zhanxiang, general representative of global doctors' organization in China, introduced that 3D printing technology and products have been widely used in clinical fields all over the world, such as orthopedics, pediatrics, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, radiology and oncology. The industry predicts that 3D printing technology will usher in a market explosion in terms of hardware, services and materials in a few years. A number of industry insiders suggested to increase scientific research investment and talent training, and promote the wide application of 3D printing technology in the medical industry. Huang Wenhua said that now 3D printing urgently needs to solve a series of cutting-edge basic scientific problems, such as the biomechanics of implants, which can avoid the material problem of human immune rejection. In the long run, to improve the survival rate and organ function of printed living organs, we need to further strengthen scientific research. Cai Daozhang said that the essence of human bones, joints and ligaments is a special material. Defects in these parts need to be repaired with corresponding materials. Scientists should pay attention to the research of materials. In addition, talent training and training are also crucial. Huang Wenhua said that colleges and universities should be encouraged to increase people's understanding of the application of 3D printing technology in medical treatment through elective courses and lectures. The interviewees suggested that more places should formulate charging standards for 3D printing, increase publicity, let more doctors and patients understand this technology, build an exchange and cooperation platform between large hospitals and grass-roots hospitals, and drive more hospitals to use 3D printing technology for the benefit of more patients. (Xinhua News Agency)