Hadassah says it used 3D printer to lengthen leg bone for vanishing bone disease, in Israeli first

In a first in Israel, Hadassah Medical Center surgeons used a 3D printer to lengthen and replace the leg bone of a woman, 24, who suffered from Gorham-Stout disease, or vanishing bone disease, an extremely rare condition that causes bone tissue to be abnormally reabsorbed in the body and vanish, the hospital says.

The woman had one leg that was significantly shorter than the other and walked on crutches for most of her life.

Doctors designed a 3D-printed reconstruction of her missing pelvic bone and hip joint, and another custom implant designed to replace her missing femur, or thigh bone.

After an extensive operation, her leg was lengthened by a total of eight centimeters (3.2 inches), followed by an intensive rehabilitation period. Today, her leg has nearly returned to its original length, and she walks without crutches.

“This case is unusual not only because of the rarity of the disease, but also because of the innovative solution found,” says Dr. Omer Or, an orthopedic oncologist and specialist in metabolic bone diseases at Hadassah Ein Kerem.