Help for 14-year-old

Young cancer patient with shoulder from 3D printer

Gwladys was fitted with a shoulder joint from the 3D printer by Primar Dammerer. Provincial Councillor Ludwig Schleritzko (right) is also proud of the medical expertise in Krems.

(Bild: UK Krems / Philipp Monihart)

After a shock diagnosis, a young cancer patient (14) had to have her entire shoulder removed. In Krems, she was fitted with an implant that had been recreated down to the smallest detail.

Swimming, skiing or ski jumping - sport is an essential part of Gwladys' young life. When the 14-year-old from Vorarlberg was suddenly unable to lift her arm during a dance exercise, nobody could have guessed what would be diagnosed after several visits to the doctor: The strange bump she noticed under her skin was an aggressive, malignant tumor in her shoulder bone!

Thanks to this "shoulder", Gwladys will soon be able to put light weight on her arm again.

(Bild: UK Krems / Philipp Monihart)

Chemotherapy was started immediately, but Dietmar Dammerer, Head of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at Krems University Hospital, was also contacted. As reported, the top physician had recently implanted a prosthesis that grew with eleven-year-old David instead of the thigh affected by the tumor. This time, Dammerer and his team also succeeded in performing a special operation.

Operation lasting several hours
The teenager's shoulder, including the shoulder blade and shoulder joint, had to be removed in an operation lasting several hours. A 3D implant was inserted instead. "From a medical point of view, this is not really a major innovation. But this time, Gwladys' bone was reconstructed down to the smallest detail and fitted perfectly," explains the primary surgeon. The complex process was only possible thanks to seamless collaboration between experts in engineering, biomechanics and medicine.

Eat, comb, hope
The woman from Vorarlberg now has to wait a few weeks before she can put weight on her arm with everyday activities such as eating or combing her hair. Depending on the healing process, she will hopefully be able to pursue her passion for dancing again.