Is Additive Manufacturing of Patient-specific Implant Beneficial for Orthopedics
Aleena Ariz, Ilma Tasneem, Devyani Bharti, Abhishek Vaish, Abid Haleem, Mohd Javaid
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) is a technique used for fabricating complex geometries and structures using the three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) data.The process consists of successive printing layers of material depositing one layer over another.AM is gaining importance in the field of medicine, especially for orthopedics applications.In the medical field, AM eases in the fabrication of complex implants such as a heart valve, cartilage, and trachea.In this article, we have systematically printed a cast model of a patient's wrist fracture using a fused-deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer by capturing the data with the help of computed tomography (CT) scan.This 3D printed model can be used to evaluate the minute details of fracture before the surgery. [1,2]M 3D printing can fabricate the parts using a variety of materials, including elastomers, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and polylactic acid (PLA).In this article, we tend to explore the benefits of manufacturing of patient-specific implant (PSI) using 3D printing. [3][4][5] The primary purpose of using 3D printing technology is to make the patient-specific fracture bone model in less time and with intricate designs and structure to overcome the difficulties of traditional manufacturing processes.Furthermore, the repair of critical bone defects remains a challenge for orthopedic surgeons.