In a first in Israel, Hadassah Medical Center surgeons used a 3D printer to lengthen and replace the leg bone of a woman, 24, who suffered from Gorham-Stout disease, or vanishing bone disease, an extremely rare condition that causes bone tissue to be abnormally reabsorbed in the body and vanish, the hospital said Monday.

The woman had one leg that was significantly shorter than the other and walked on crutches for most of her life.

Doctors designed a 3D-printed reconstruction of her missing pelvic bone and hip joint, and another custom implant designed to replace her missing femur, or thigh bone.

After an extensive operation, the woman’s leg was lengthened by a total of eight centimeters (3.2 inches), followed by an intensive rehabilitation period. Today, her leg has been returned to nearly its original length, and........

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