Israeli Surgeons 3D Print Patient's Chest Wall in Medical First

A Medical First in Additive Manufacturing

Surgeons at Clalit-Beilinson Hospital in Israel have performed the country's first implantation of a fully 3D-printed chest wall, giving a young woman her sternum back after a rare cancer forced its removal. The operation, carried out in early August 2026, is a clear demonstration of how patient-specific additive manufacturing is moving from research labs into routine surgical practice.

The patient, a woman in her twenties, was diagnosed with a BRAF-altered mesenchymal tumor, an exceptionally rare sarcoma documented in roughly 20 cases worldwide. By the time doctors identified it, the growth had eroded much of her sternum and portions of several ribs. Removing the affected bone was the only option, but traditional reconstruction methods presented serious problems. Titanium plates are rigid and uncomfortable. Synthetic mesh lacks the structural properties of real bone. Bone cement does not integrate with living tissue. The surgical team needed something better.

Why PEKK Made the Difference

They turned to PEKK, polyether ketone ketone, a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer originally developed for aerospace applications. PEKK is roughly 60 percent lighter than titanium, flexible enough to move with the chest during breathing, and porous enough to allow the patient's own bone to grow into the implant over time. Those properties made it a far better match for chest wall reconstruction than anything previously available.

The implant itself was built using advanced CT imaging and digital modeling tuned precisely to the patient's anatomy. The surgical team rejected conventional reconstruction materials and went straight to a fully customized 3D-printed solution. Millimetre-level accuracy mattered here: the implant had to anchor securely to the remaining ribs while restoring the natural contour and function of the chest wall.

What the Procedure Required

The surgery lasted roughly 10 hours. Surgeons removed most of the sternum and portions of five ribs, then set the custom PEKK implant in place, connecting it to the remaining bone structure. Dr. Israel Weiss, Head of Orthopedic Oncology at the hospital, noted afterward that the precision offered by the personalized implant improved reconstruction quality in ways traditional methods simply could not match.

The patient is now recovering well. The surgical team plans to publish the full case study for peer review, which will give other centers a detailed roadmap for similar procedures.

Why This Matters Beyond One Patient

This kind of surgery simply was not possible a few years ago. The combination of high-resolution imaging, affordable additive manufacturing, and improved biomaterials has closed the gap between what surgeons can imagine and what they can actually do. Hospitals that invest in in-house 3D printing capabilities are already reporting shorter surgical times and better patient outcomes for complex reconstructions.

Regulatory pathways for patient-specific implants are also catching up. The FDA and comparable agencies in Europe have been gradually expanding approval frameworks for custom medical devices, which means more hospitals can offer these procedures without navigating years of red tape. Expect to see more chest wall reconstructions, spinal implants, and craniofacial repairs delivered through the same workflow the Beilinson team used here.

For now, this young woman in Israel has her chest wall back. The technology that made it possible is heading to hospitals around the world.