The use of CAD/CAM technology in prosthetics and orthotics--current clinical models and a view to the future

This report examines the current clinical uses of CAD/CAM in prosthetics and orthotics. We conducted interviews to contrast patterns of CAD/CAM use in different private practice settings, at two different teaching institutions, and within two large Prosthetic and Orthotic delivery systems. Investigation into these patterns of use has revealed several lessons. First, there currently exist several very different models of use in clinical practice and these different models will most likely continue. The clinical models range from all traditional techniques with no use of CAD/CAM, to full in-house suites of CAD/CAM equipment with extensive utilization, to a simplified office with minimal in-house equipment and minimal fabrication and a near total dependency on central fabrication. Second, a growing number of prosthetic and orthotic devices are successfully being fabricated and fit with CAD/CAM technology after starting the process with simple measurements instead of casted, scanned, or digitized exact anatomic data. Starting the CAD process with "by-the-numbers approach" has revealed the reality that for some devices, the "input" needed to define the shape of the residual limb or torso, may not need to be as accurate as originally thought. Third, the fabrication techniques that are currently being used with CAD/CAM systems are still rather traditional techniques. Most devices are still laminated or formed over computer carved models. Although research continues into advanced fabrication techniques, the prosthetics and orthotics industry has not yet taken advantage of the possibilities in the computer-assisted manufacturing side of the equation. Finally, the business of manufacturing and selling up-to-date CAD/CAM equipment and software has a tremendous impact on how this technology is used in prosthetics and orthotics. The size of the prosthetics and orthotics industry and the potential number of customers for major equipment are relatively small. Being in the business of providing the advanced CAD/CAM systems of tomorrow is an expensive and difficult proposition. Current users of full in-house CAD systems have expressed concern that upgrading equipment and software might not be economical with today's decreasing revenues. For all of these reasons, many believe that the number of practitioners who use a central fabrication model will grow more rapidly than the number of practitioners who own and operate a full in-house system.