Prof Mashudu Tshifularo and team
Led by ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, Prof Mashudu Tshifularo, a team of medical professionals performed the world’s first middle ear transplant using 3D printed bones. The procedure conducted by the South African surgeons was the first in the medical profession.
This surgical ingenuity was performed at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital to a 40-year old man who damaged his middle ear bone in an injury. The 3D-printed middle ear bones were developed by Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team at the University of Pretoria (UP).