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.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS