Patches, a nine-year-old dachshund from Willamsport, Pa., is shown before surgery for a brain tumour that eventually grew through the skull. A new kind of procedure, in which a 3D printer creates a custom-made titanium skull cap for a dog, is much better, Oblak said. 'Very little room for error'The new method began with a CT scan taking an image of Patches' head and tumour, Oblak said. Those digital plans were then sent to ADEISS, a medical-grade 3D printing company in London, Ont., which made a customized titanium skull cap for Patches. It took two hours to map out the plans and send them to the printer, and within two weeks, the titanium skull cap was ready, Oblak said.

Source: CBC News September 23, 2018 15:33 UTC