Surgeons use 3-D printing to help boy stand

A 6-year-old boy suffering from brittle bone disease was able to stand on his own feet after a successful operation enabled by 3-D printing technology at a hospital in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

It was claimed to be the first orthopedic surgery in the country involving the innovative technology.

"By printing out a 3-D skeleton model of the boy's lower limbs, we were able to make a precise plan for the operation and perform the operation successfully," said To Kai-tsun, a consultant surgeon of orthopedics and traumatology at The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, who took part in the surgery.