Little girl's new face shaped using 3D printing

Violet Pietrok, 2, is now smiling after major surgery to her face. Photo / Facebook

New York toddler Violet Pietrok is two minutes older than her twin sister. She was born with a Tessier cleft, a rare condition that left a fissure in her skull, so the facial bones didn't fully come together, leaving a large space down the middle of her face.

Violet Pietrok was born two minutes before her twin sister. Photo / YouTube, New York Times

Her mother, Alicia Taylor, told the New York Times she found out something wasn't right when she was still pregnant with her daughters.

"It's not something that you ever want to hear," she said.

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Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital used 3D printing technology to build a resin model of 2-year-old Violet's skull, allowing them to simulate surgery and anticipate challenges.

"Normally you can't see certain aspects of the skeleton with skin covering and muscle covering it," Plastic surgeon-in-chief Dr John Meara said.

"3D printing allows you to see certain areas and simulate surgery in a way that's never been possible before."

Nearly six months after the operation to reshape her face, Violet is smiling and laughing, her parents told abcnews.go.com.

Violet will undergo several more surgeries as she gets older to help reshape her face over time. A Facebook page has been set up to follow Violet's journey.

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- nzherald.co.nz