Abstract

Background

Bioresorbable patient-specific additive-manufactured bone grafts, meshes, and plates are emerging as a promising alternative that can overcome the challenges associated with conventional off-the-shelf implants. The fabrication of patient-specific implants (PSIs) directly at the point-of-care (POC), such as hospitals, clinics, and surgical centers, allows for more flexible, faster, and more efficient processes, reducing the need for outsourcing to external manufacturers. We want to emphasize the potential advantages of producing bioresorbable polymer implants for cranio-maxillofacial surgery at the POC by highlighting its surgical applications, benefits, and limitations.

Methods

This study describes the workflow of designing and fabricating degradable polymeric PSIs using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. The cortical bone was segmented from the patient’s computed tomography data using Materialise Mimics software, and the PSIs were designed created using Geomagic Freeform and nTopology software. The implants were finally printed via Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) of medical-grade poly (L-lactide-co-D, L-lactide) with 30% β-tricalcium phosphate and evaluated for fit.

Results

3D printed implants using APF technology showed surfaces with highly uniform and well-connected droplets with minimal gap formation between the printed paths. For the plates and meshes, a wall thickness down to 0.8 mm could be achieved. In this study, we successfully printed plates for osteosynthesis, implants for orbital floor fractures, meshes for alveolar bone regeneration, and bone scaffolds with interconnected channels.

Conclusions

This study shows the feasibility of using 3D printing to create degradable polymeric PSIs seamlessly integrated into virtual surgical planning workflows. Implementing POC 3D printing of biodegradable PSI can potentially improve therapeutic outcomes, but regulatory compliance must be addressed.

Details

Title
Patient-specific implants made of 3D printed bioresorbable polymers at the point-of-care: material, technology, and scope of surgical application
Author
Maintz, Michaela 1 ; Tourbier, Céline 2 ; de Wild, Michael 3 ; Cattin, Philippe C. 4 ; Beyer, Michel 2 ; Seiler, Daniel 3 ; Honigmann, Philipp 5 ; Sharma, Neha 2 ; Thieringer, Florian M. 2 

 University Hospital Basel, Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Basel, Switzerland (GRID:grid.410567.1) (ISNI:0000 0001 1882 505X); Medical Additive Manufacturing Research Group (Swiss MAM), University of Basel, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Allschwil, Switzerland (GRID:grid.6612.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0642); University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, Institute for Medical Engineering and Medical Informatics IM², Hofackerstrasse 30, Muttenz, Switzerland (GRID:grid.410380.e) (ISNI:0000 0001 1497 8091) 
 University Hospital Basel, Oral and Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Basel, Switzerland (GRID:grid.410567.1) (ISNI:0000 0001 1882 505X); Medical Additive Manufacturing Research Group (Swiss MAM), University of Basel, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Allschwil, Switzerland (GRID:grid.6612.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0642) 
 University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, Institute for Medical Engineering and Medical Informatics IM², Hofackerstrasse 30, Muttenz, Switzerland (GRID:grid.410380.e) (ISNI:0000 0001 1497 8091) 
 Center of Medical Image Analysis and Navigation (CIAN), University of Basel, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Basel, Switzerland (GRID:grid.6612.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0642) 
 Medical Additive Manufacturing Research Group (Swiss MAM), University of Basel, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Allschwil, Switzerland (GRID:grid.6612.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0642); Hand- and peripheral Nerve Surgery, Kantonsspital Baselland, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Bruderholz| Liestal| Laufen, Switzerland (GRID:grid.440128.b) (ISNI:0000 0004 0457 2129); Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (GRID:grid.7177.6) (ISNI:0000 0000 8499 2262) 
Pages
13
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Dec 2024
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
23656271
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3041702943
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.