Here’s the first surgeon in the world to use 3D-printed bones to help a deaf man hear again

• Professor Mashudu Tshifularo led the world’s first 3D-printed middle-ear transplant in 2019.

• The South African surgeon used titanium implants to replace damaged ear bones.

• The procedure helped a patient with accident-related hearing loss regain hearing.

• His innovation focuses on middle-ear damage, not all forms of deafness.

For years, a South African surgeon believed that technology could solve a problem that had frustrated doctors for decades — helping people regain hearing after damage to the tiny bones inside their ears.

That belief led Professor Mashudu Tshifularo to develop a groundbreaking procedure that made medical history: the world’s first middle-ear transplant using 3D-printed titanium bones.

In March 2019, Tshifularo and his team at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, successfully performed the procedure, using 3D technology to replace damaged parts of a patient’s middle ear and restore his ability to hear. 

Professor Mashudu Tshifularo is a South African ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon, researcher and academic. He is the head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Health Sciences and has spent years specialising in diseases affecting the ear, nose and throat. 

His interest in medicine began during his early years in South Africa. After completing his medical studies, he chose to specialise in otorhinolaryngology — a field that focuses on conditions affecting hearing, balance, breathing and related structures of the head and neck.

Over the years, Tshifularo became known not only as a surgeon but also as an innovator. Before his 3D-printed ear breakthrough, he developed medical techniques including a bloodless tonsillectomy procedure and contributed to hearing-related programmes aimed at expanding access to treatment. 

The breakthrough centred on the middle ear, which contains three of the smallest bones in the human body — the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil) and stapes (stirrup).

These tiny bones, known collectively as the ossicles, play a crucial role in transmitting sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. When they are damaged because of trauma, infections, birth defects or other conditions, a person can suffer from conductive hearing loss. 

Tshifularo’s team used 3D-printing technology to create replacement versions of these bones using titanium, a material known for being compatible with the human body.

Instead of using traditional reconstruction methods, the team designed implants that could replace only the damaged parts, aiming to reduce risks and improve the chances of restoring hearing.

The first widely reported recipient of the procedure was a 35-year-old man whose middle ear had been severely damaged in a car accident.

The damage affected the tiny bones responsible for transmitting sound, leaving him with major hearing loss.

After the operation, reports said the patient regained hearing, marking a major milestone in reconstructive ear surgery. 

The patient later said he had suffered years of hearing problems before the surgery and described the procedure as life-changing. In an interview with the University of Pretoria, he said he regained about 75% of his hearing after the transplant. 

The historic operation was not an overnight success. Tshifularo said his research into the technology took years, with many organisations initially refusing to support the idea. He explained that he spent time learning more about 3D printing himself and continued developing the concept despite doubts from others.

His goal was not just to create a one-time medical achievement but to develop a treatment that could eventually help more people suffering from middle-ear damage.

The procedure was particularly significant because traditional treatments for middle-ear problems can be complicated and may not always provide lasting results. Tshifularo’s approach offered a new possibility by combining surgery with advanced manufacturing technology.

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The surgery showed how 3D printing could move beyond creating models and prototypes to producing medical implants that can be used inside the human body.

It opened discussions about the future of personalised medicine, where treatments and implants can be designed to match individual patients.

However, the procedure does not mean all forms of deafness can now be cured. It specifically targets conductive hearing loss caused by damage to the middle ear, not hearing loss caused by problems involving the inner ear or auditory nerve. 

For Professor Tshifularo, the achievement represents what can happen when medicine and technology work together — transforming a once-impossible idea into a treatment that gives people the chance to hear again.

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