Application of Rapid Prototyping in the Treatment of Clubfoot in Children

Abstract

Rapid prototyping (RP) is a technique which produce 3D model of a part from the CAD model using the additive manufacturing technology. Unlike the traditional method of manufacturing, in this technique small layers are added on top of one another to form the final part. This allows rapid prototyping to create very complex parts in relatively less time period. In recent years this technique has been applied to medical field.Common RP techniques used in the medical field are Selective Laser Sintering, Fused Deposition Modeling, Multi-Jet Modeling and Stereolithography. But for most of the above methods, the working principle remains the same. The input data for model generation is obtained from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Computer Tomography (CT) scan which is converted to a 3D model by image processing software. This 3D model is converted to STL format which is read by the RP machine by creating thin slices of the model. Clubfoot, a challenging foot deformity generally occurs at birth, is caused by the abnormal posturing of the foot which becomes twisted so that the sole cannot be placed flat on the ground. The treatment for clubfoot should begin immediately, preferably in the first week of birth since the tissues, tendons, ligaments and bones of the new born's foot will yield to gentle pressure over time. The treatment involves manipulations and serial casting for correction and orthosis for maintenance. This paper focuses on the applications of rapid prototyping in designing a corrective orthosis which will replace serial casting in the treatment of Clubfoot in children. Rapid prototyping has proven to facilitate, speed up and improve the quality of procedures and products.

A Review on 3D Printing using Fused Deposition Modelling

“…The first step of the process is to reheat the thermoplastic until it becomes intertwined. After it, the CAD record was implemented on the material through the printer to create the 3D object layer by layer [12]. A cylinder guides the platform below the gap of the thickness of the printed layer after each layer is printed.…”

A review on the use of additive manufacturing to produce lower limb orthoses

“…Vijayaragavan et al [43] used the extrusion process to produce a corrective orthosis for the treatment of clubfoot in children. The authors used CT data for both the internal and external definition of the foot.…”

Additive bio-manufacturing: 3D printing for medical recovery and human enhancement

“…Another example of the application of AM is the treatment of children's clubfoot 35 where conventional treatment involves a series of correction steps. In an analogue to the InvisAlign approach (see the sub-section on digital dentistry), this treatment requires several casting steps and custom orthoses to allow patient the development of a correct foot posture (Vijayaragavan et al 2014) . This has market potential for AM.…”