Wednesday 22/October/2025 – 02:25 AM
Egyptian writer and physician Dr. Khaled Montaser praised a new global medical achievement, after South African Professor Mashudu Chifularo succeeded in developing the world’s first middle ear implant manufactured using 3D printing technology, a step described as a revolution in the treatment of conductive hearing loss.
The world’s first middle ear implant
Montasser published a post on his Facebook page in which he explained that the new innovation represents a qualitative leap in the field of medical engineering, as it combines 3D printing with personal medical care to provide a more accurate and effective solution for those with hearing loss.
He added that Professor Chifularo, who heads the Department of Otolaryngology at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria, has devoted years of research to developing new treatment methods for hearing loss, challenging traditional methods that rely on hand-produced prosthetics, which leads to a lack of accuracy and efficiency of performance.
He explained that the new technology relies on designing a middle ear implant identical to the structure of each patient’s ear using biomaterials compatible with the body, which makes it more effective and suitable than traditional models that were produced on a large scale without direct supervision from doctors.
Montasser pointed out that the idea of innovation was inspired by the successes achieved by 3D printing in other fields of medicine, such as orthopedics and urology. Chifularo said in a statement to African Currents magazine: “I saw the amazing results of 3D printing in other fields, so I said to myself: Why don’t we apply it to ear, nose and throat surgery?”
He concluded his post by emphasizing that this achievement represents a major step forward for African innovation and global medicine, noting that the success of this implant demonstrates the ability of scientists in Africa to provide pioneering, world-class medical solutions.
