A sculptor in his 50s whose cheekbone and eye socket were severely damaged in a motorcycle accident was able to return to work following reconstructive surgery that made use of a computer-assisted navigation system and 3D printing.
The artist, surnamed Peng (彭), crashed his motorcycle into the back of another vehicle, but did not seek immediate medical treatment, as he only noticed bruising, swelling and a feeling of numbness in his left cheek, doctors said, adding that he decided to apply ice and leave his injuries to heal on their own.
When the swelling subsided after about one month, Peng noticed that his face had become asymmetrical, with his left eye socket drooping, while his left cheek was still numb, doctors said.
Photo: CNA
Peng also began to notice blurred vision when he was sculpting, so he finally went to Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City, almost three months after the accident, doctors said.
An examination revealed that he had a displaced fracture of his left cheek bone and an orbital blowout fracture which had caused his eyes to become misaligned, one of his surgeons, Liao Han-tsung (廖漢聰) said.
The optimum period for performing surgery on cheekbone or orbital fractures is two or three weeks after the injuries occur, but as Peng delayed treatment, the bones in his face had set in a new place, making resetting them in their original positions difficult, Liao said.
With the help of a computer-based navigation system and 3D printing, doctors were able to construct a precise 3D model of the original bones and during surgery were able to avoid damaging sensitive organs or the optic nerves, which could have caused blindness, Liao said.
In addition, the technology allowed them to precisely reconstruct the patient’s appearance, he said, adding that in the past, the success of such efforts were hit and miss and depended on the surgeon’s ability.
The hospital has used the technology to help reconstruct the skulls or faces of about 150 patients, all of whom have been satisfied with the results, Liao said.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS