Liu Zhongjun, director of the orthopedics department at Peking University Third Hospital, and the 3D printed spine model. [Photo/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 3D-printed implant also has pores that allow bones on healthy vertebrae to grow into the artificial implant and eventually to fuse with it.

"3D printing technology in orthopedics is promising, as it is in many other fields," Liu said.

After the surgery, Yuan was transferred to a normal inpatient ward rather than an intensive care unit because he lost less blood than would have been the case with traditional implant surgery. He is recovering much more quickly than expected, the doctors say.

In August 2014 the hospital treated a 12-year-old boy suffering from a rare tumor in the axis (the second cervical vertebra), with a replica vertebra generated by 3D printing.

More than 60 patients have benefited from 3D-printed orthopedic implants in the hospital, Liu said.

Led by Liu, the hospital's orthopedics department started studying the medical application of artificial vertebral body products by 3D printing in 2009, in collaboration with a medical device company in Beijing that owns an imported 3D printer.

The medical team provided designs based on their clinical experience and understanding of surgical needs supported by medical images, and the company digitalized the design through software the company developed for printing.

Animal trials on sheep started later, which proved the implants were safe, and clinical trials began in late 2012.

Last September, the China Food and Drug Administration approved the use of 3D-printed hips joint product developed by the team, and in May the administration approved the team's 3D-printed artificial vertebral body product.