On September 25, 2026, BioTimes reported on a proof-of-concept study in npj Biomedical Innovations: Ira Goldsmith and Thomas Bragg's team at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, UK, established an end-to-end "digital-surgical integration" workflow (the Goldsmith-Bragg protocol). This four-stage process integrates CT imaging, virtual tumor margin planning, CAD implant design, and L-PBF 3D-printed titanium alloy implants for patient-specific chest wall resection and reconstruction.
Clinical validation: Between 2017 and 2025, six consecutive patients requiring full-thickness chest wall resection (2 cases of simple rib resection, 2 cases of rib-cartilage-hemisternum composite defects, and 2 cases of sternum-cartilage-rib defects, all with defects larger than 5 cm) underwent the digital-surgical workflow successfully in a single attempt with zero intraoperative modifications; implants fit and anchored precisely to native bone, with reconstruction times of 127-258 minutes; follow-up ranging from 5 months to 5 years showed no implant failure, displacement, infection, or mechanical failure, with a mean surface deviation between virtual planning and postoperative position of only 3.11 ± 1.40 mm.
This framework shifts chest wall implants from intraoperative shaping to preoperative data-driven digital planning, addressing the limitations of traditional mesh, MMA-CP prostheses, and titanium plates, which rely on intraoperative adjustment and offer limited anatomical precision, laying the foundation for future multicenter evaluation.
Value for powder buyers: ① Medical implants represent a personalized, low-volume scenario, and patient-specific printing drives demand for Ti-6Al-4V medical-grade powder (low oxygen, batch traceable); ② Medical institutions are increasingly building in-house printing capabilities, focusing on ISO 13485 and biocompatibility certification thresholds for medical powders; ③ The spread of digital surgical planning will expand the custom implant market, enabling customized powder batch services for hospitals and device manufacturers.
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npj Biomedical Innovations：L-PBF钛合金植入物胸壁重建数字-手术一体化框架完成6例验证
2026年9月25日，生物通报道 npj Biomedical Innovations 概念验证研究：英国斯旺西 Morriston 医院 Ira Goldsmith、Thomas Bragg 团队建立端到端「数字-手术一体化」工作流（Goldsmith-Bragg 协议），将 CT 成像、虚拟肿瘤切缘规划、CAD 植入物设计与 L-PBF 3D打印钛合金植入物整合为四阶段流程，用于患者特异性胸壁切除与重建。
临床验证：2017-2025年间6名需全层胸壁切除的连续患者（单纯肋骨切除2例、肋骨-软骨-半胸骨复合2例、胸骨-软骨-肋骨2例，缺损均大于5 cm），全部病例数字-手术工作流一次成功、术中零修改；植入物与原生骨精确贴合锚定，重建耗时127-258分钟；随访5个月至5年无植入物失败、移位、感染或机械故障，虚拟规划与术后位置平均表面偏差仅 3.11±1.40 mm。
该框架将胸壁植入物从术中塑形改为术前数据驱动的数字化规划，解决了传统网片、MMA-CP假体与钛板依赖术中调整、解剖精度有限的痛点，为未来多中心评估奠定基础。
对粉末采购商的价值：① 医疗植入物是个性化小批量场景，患者特异性打印推高对 Ti-6Al-4V 医疗级粉末（低氧、批次可追溯）需求；② 医疗机构自建打印能力渐增，关注医用粉末的 ISO 13485 与生物相容性认证门槛；③ 数字化手术规划普及将扩大定制植入物市场，可对接医院与器械商的定制粉末批次服务。
