Construction of shoulder and breast prostheses

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Prosthetics

Background:

• Osteogenic sarcoma of the humerus often requires forequarter amputation.
• This amputation leads to significant upper limb deformity, necessitating prosthetic intervention.
• Female patients may also require mastectomy, creating a need for combined breast-shoulder prostheses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a procedure for fabricating shoulder and/or breast prostheses.
• To address the rehabilitation needs of cancer patients requiring prosthetics.
• To assist occupational therapists facing similar challenges.

Main Methods:

• Development of a fabrication procedure by the occupational therapy staff at M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute.
• Discussion of fabrication methods and encountered challenges.
• Focus on creating custom prostheses for post-surgical deformities.

Main Results:

• A practical procedure for constructing shoulder and breast prostheses has been devised.
• The article outlines methods and discusses potential problems in prosthesis fabrication.
• The developed procedure aims to improve patient rehabilitation outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Improved cancer treatments lead to increased demand for rehabilitation services.
• The described prosthesis fabrication technique offers a solution for patients with upper limb and breast deformities.
• This work provides valuable guidance for therapists involved in cancer rehabilitation.