A team of oncologists and veterinarians from Tampa Zoo on Florida’s west coast in the United States The hornbeam specimen, a rare cancer-stricken Asian bird with a helmet and two horns, resembling a toucan, was successfully operated on.. experts used a 3D printer to make a prosthetic for his helmet (a hollow horn on the skull).
The animal is a female named ‘crescent‘ and at the age of 25 he had developed a lesion at the base of his skull that also affected the upper part of his beak.
It was then that the medical team responsible for the care of the animals in the zoo made the decision. use a 3D printer to make a prosthesis that can replace parts damaged by squamous cell carcinomaa type of skin tumor that is almost always fatal in hornbills.
Veterinarian Kendra Baker told us great effort by oncologists, biomedical engineers and experts to save the life of this great birdalmost a meter tall, it is on display at ZooTampa.
It was a very difficult tumor to remove because of the sensitive part it grew on, but the team of experts asked themselves, “If it was a human, what would we do?” they asked. That’s when Baker saw the possibility of using 3D printing, which has been successfully used in human patients, to “save the bird’s life at all costs.”
Finally, the medical team was able to remove the tumor and replace the affected area with a new prosthesis A 3D-printed process, according to those in charge of the zoo the first of its kind to be held in the United States and the second worldwide.
Acrylic and titanium screws
ZooTampa announced in a statement that the Formlabs lab donated the material, and the Radiology 3D team at the University of South Florida (USF) printed the surgical guide and new helmet on a Formlabs 3D printer developed for healthcare use.
In the process of replacing the damaged part of the bird’s nail Acrylic and titanium dental screws were used to attach the 3D-printed prosthesis to the top of the ‘Crescent’ beak.
The animal looks good after the operationhowever, experts continue to monitor its evolution after its return to the zoo’s open-air habitat.
The brightly colored great hornbills are among the largest of this bird family. inhabits the forests of northeastern India, Indochina, and the Malay Peninsula.
Experts often make a kind of “whistling” sound when flying because they lack the set of short underwing feathers common in other birds.
Hornbill is a bucerotiform species measuring 90 to 120 centimeters long and weighing 2.8 to 3 kilograms in the adult stage. Their breeding habits are unique among birds, as the female “sandwiches” herself in a crate with the help of the male before laying eggs..
During hatching, the female takes advantage of the security of the nest to molt completely, unable to fly until the process is complete.
The male is in charge of foraging in this way and feeding both the female and the young.In the event of the male’s death, he dies from lack of food.
‘nearly threatened’ species
About five weeks after the eggs (usually one or two), the female molts completely, so she leaves the nest and helps the male find food. When the mother leaves the nest, the chicks reseal her from the inside.
The helmet on his head acts as a sounding board.raising the bird’s muffled squeaks, sexual maturity indicator. Although it begins to grow at the age of six months, takes five years to develop. It has a double forehead in males, thus justifying the name ‘bicorne’. Despite its rough appearance, the helmet is very light.
The male’s eyes are red and the female’s eyes are blue, making it very easy to distinguish between the sexes. Favorite food is fruitalthough it also includes small animals such as birds, rodents, crabs or snakes in its diet.
The life expectancy of large hornbeams is from 45 to 50 years.. If the conservation status of the species is ‘imminent threat’According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Zoo Tampa website: https://zootampa.org/