Intra-Articular Osteotomy of the Distal Radius with the Use of Inexpensive In-House 3D Printed Surgical Guides and Arthroscopy

Abstract

Case: An 18-year-old man complained about persistent wrist pain and functional impairment due to intra-articular malunion, 1 year after volar plating of a distal radius fracture. We designed and produced patient-specific surgical guides (PSSGs) in-house with a benchtop three-dimensional printer to perform an arthroscopy-assisted intra-articular osteotomy of the radial column without dorsal arthrotomy. The procedure was performed without complications. After 1 year, there was no osteoarthritis and the patient's wrist function was practically normalized. Conclusions: Virtual surgical planning, design, and production of PSSGs were feasible without consultation of an external medical engineering company and without dorsal arthrotomy.

Clinical Applications of Three-Dimensional Printing in Upper Extremity Surgery: A Systematic Review

“…Several case reports and series reported similar clinical outcomes by using intraoperative aids such as 3D-printed cutting jigs, guides for drills and wires, and templates for bone grafting. The use of 3D-printed drill and cutting guides for intraoperative aids has been successfully applied to both extraarticular [ 30 , 31 , 32 ] and intraarticular [ 30 , 33 , 34 ] distal radius fracture malunion correction, malunion of metaphyseal [ 35 ] and diaphyseal [ 36 ] radius, diaphyseal ulna [ 36 ], distal humerus [ 30 ], and metacarpal bone [ 31 ], and even in nonunion correction of distal humerus [ 30 ] and epiphysiodesis correction of distal radius [ 37 ]. In malunion correction of proximal ulna, a 3D-printed navigation tool was successfully applied to obtain an accurate reposition of the ulna [ 38 ].…”

Impresión 3D en Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología. Revisión sistemática de su aplicabilidad y estudio de los métodos de esterilización más adecuados para la utilización en quirófanos de las impresiones realizadas en el hospital.

“…Método de la guía de osteotomía y guía para la reducción del fragmento. 146 Adquisición de la imagen: TAC unilateral, grosor de corte 0,9 mm Segmentación:…”