A toddler in China has made medical history after becoming the first person in the world to have her entire skull reconstructed by 3D printers.
Known as the 'big-head baby', Han Han, 3, had a rare condition which made her head grow to four times the normal size.
This put her at risk of going blind and even of having maggots infest her brain.
However, yesterday she underwent 17 hours of surgery - and is now expected to make a full recovery.
The toddler was born with hydrocephalus - where a build up of fluid occurs on the brain.
But her condition was so advanced that the fluid filled 85 per cent of her brain - making her skull three-four times larger than it should have been, measuring around 20cmx20cm, 3dprint.com reports.
The danger with hydrocephalus is that the excess fluid puts pressure on the brain, damaging it.
Indeed, before undergoing the pioneering surgery, Han Han had developed medical problems such as a thinning skull and poor blood supply.
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