In the first surgery of its kind worldwide, an 84-year-old Chinese man has received knee surgery using 3D printing technology to fill large bone defects with tantalum, a rare metal, at a hospital in Chongqing Municipality, reported cqnews.net.

　　据重庆新闻报道，在重庆市的一家医院，一名84岁的中国男子接受了3D打印技术修复膝关节的手术，使用了一种罕见的金属钽来垫块修复巨大骨缺损，此系全球首例。

　　As the incidence of arthritis among people aged from 50 to 59 has reached 62 percent, the first hospital affiliated to AMU (southwest hospital) now performs about 400 knee replacement surgeries annually, according to reports.

　　据报道，在50岁至59岁的人群中，关节炎发病率已经达到了62%，仅仅在西南第一医院关节外科，每年就要进行约400例膝关节置换手术。

　　"Total knee replacement is the most effective way to treat late-stage knee diseases, as it can reduce the pain for patients and improve their quality of life," said Yang Liu, a professor at the hospital.

　　“全膝关节置换术是治疗终末期膝关节疾病的最有效的方法，可减轻疼痛，提高患者生活质量。”该医院杨柳教授表示。

　　However, bone defects may occur around the joint due to post-operative infections or other reasons. The shape of the bone defects varies greatly, and existing modular metal cannot correct the defects.

　　但是，由于术后感染以及其他原因，往往会造成关节周围骨缺损。骨缺损的形态千差万别，现有的模块化金属垫块无法充分修复。

　　Tantalum is used in dental and surgical implants; however, titanium alloy is more commonly used as the high melting point of tantalum exceeds the limit of most 3D printers available.

　　钽被用于牙科以及外科植入，然而，由于钽金属熔点非常高，超过了目前大多3D打印机的极限，所以目前置入物均以钛合金为主。

　　Porous tantalum has been developed to solve the technical problem. Tantalum pads are individually designed for patients by computer-aided design and precise 3D-printing technology.

　　多孔钽的开发解决了这个技术问题，开发了。钽垫块是通过计算机辅助设计和精确3d打印技术单独为病人设计的。

　　The surgery is greatly simplified, avoiding many possible risks. Mr. Zhang, who received the knee surgery was able to complete some basic movements on the first day after his surgery and is expected to leave the hospital in just four to five days.

　　手术流程大大简化，避免了许多可能出现的风险。刚接受手术的张先生在术后第一天就可以完成一些基本动作，预计将在四五天内出院。