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Updated: Mar 13, 2026
3D Planning and Printing of Patient Specific Implants for Reconstruction of Bony Defects
Published on: August 4, 2020
Three-dimensional printing and patient-specific pre-contoured plate: future of acetabulum fracture fixation?
Purpose:
Due to the complexity of acetabulum, achieving anatomical contouring intra-operatively is difficult for surgeon. A 3D (dimensional) real model can facilitate us both in contouring the plate pre-operatively and in better pre-operative planning. Patient-specific pre-contoured plate in acetabular fracture has been studied by few researchers but randomized case-control study was lacking. Hence, we conducted a case-control study to evaluate the accuracy of patient-specific pre-contoured plate.
Materials And Methods:
Prospective randomized case control study was conducted. 21 patients were included. 10 patients were distributed in "case" group and remaining 11 in "control" group.
Inclusion Criteria:
Displaced acetabulum fractures with displacement of ≥3 mm in adults who reported within 3 weeks of injury. Exclusion criteria were: Open fractures, associated Morel-Lavallée lesion and patients with >3 weeks old fracture. In case group, patient-specific real 3D model of fractured acetabulum was generated using rapid prototyping technology and plates were contoured pre-operatively. Control group was treated using intra-operative contoured plates. Both the groups were compared using parameters: Blood loss, Surgery time, post-operative reduction on X-ray, post-surgical residual displacement and reduction achieved as evaluated by CT scan.
Results:
Reduced blood loss (100 ml less in case group) and surgical time (12 min less in case group) and better post-operative reduction were observed in case than control. In control group, 4 patients even had step of 2-3 mm, which was not seen in case group. All the pre-contoured plates fitted well to the pelvis intra-operatively. Reduction achieved as evaluated by CT was more in "case" group with statistically significant outcomes (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
Patient-specific pre-contoured plate made using 3D model is a better implant than intra-operatively contoured plate. Real-time 3D pelvis model is an accurate technique for pre-operative planning in acetabular fractures.
