BellaSeno GmbH
BellaSeno GmbH has announced that a team at Hannover Medical School, Clinic for Trauma Surgery, led by Prof. Dr. med. Philipp Mommsen, successfully used a customised, resorbable bone replacement scaffold using 3D printing. The scaffold was used to reconstruct a 14cm segmental bone defect of the radial shaft after a third degree open infected fracture due to a gunshot injury.
BellaSeno is an ISO 13485-certified medtech company developing resorbable scaffolds using 3D printing.
Prior to treatment at Hannover Medical School, the patient had undergone eleven surgeries with soft tissue and bony debridement to obtain secondary wound closure, while the radial fracture was only stabilised by a ring fixator.
Folllowing six further operations and systemic antibiotic to achieve bacterial eradication of the surgical field, bone reconstructive surgery was performed at Hannover Medical School using BellaSeno’s resorbable scaffold in conjunction with an autologous bone graft from the medullary cavity of the femoral bone.
The scaffold is based on Resomer, a biodegradable polymer platform developed by Evonik. The surgery succeeded and after three months, the patient showed timely bony integration and had adequate elbow function without any signs of wound healing disorder according to the company. BellaSeno also says that no more clinical signs of infection were apparent.
Read more: Medical device firm BellaSeno to use Evonik 3D printing materials for bone regeneration scaffolds
The scaffold was designed by BellaSeno as a customised cage to match the patient’s anatomy and ensure a secure hold of autologous bone graft (RIA material) in the large void.
To enable proper internal vascularisation by the positioning of an arteriovenous loop or a central vascular pedicle during reconstructive surgery, certain design features were included to allow the placement of such a fragile structure inside the scaffold.
“As the example of the 46-year-old patients demonstrates, sophisticated solutions to treat large bone defects are scarce. BellaSeno’s scaffold enabled us to conduct a new surgical technique for graft vascularisation by embedding a vascular muscle arcade directly into a patient-specific, 3D printed bioresorbable scaffold,” said Prof. Dr. med. Philipp Mommsen, Managing Senior Physician, Clinic for Trauma Surgery at Hannover Medical School and lead author of the paper.
Dr. Mohit Chhaya, CEO of BellaSeno said: “This case study once again underlines the versatility of our technology. Almost any design request by a medical team can be fulfilled to optimise the patient’s treatment. The open structure of the scaffold enables vascularisation which is crucial not only for proper bone healing but also to allow access of immune cells and anti-microbial drugs to prevent surgical site infections. We are currently working on next-generation bone scaffolds made of a composite of PCL and bio-active glass with anti-infective properties.”
