Development of an arthroscopically compatible polymer additive layer manufacture technique

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Minimally invasive surgery offers advantages in musculoskeletal repair.
• Current methods for in situ implant fabrication in vivo are limited.
• Advanced additive manufacturing techniques show promise for personalized medical devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of in vivo three-dimensional (3D) printing for musculoskeletal repair.
• To demonstrate the potential of additive manufacturing for creating implants directly within the body.
• To assess the viability of this approach within clinically relevant timescales.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a photocurable material for in situ 3D printing.
• Developed a proof-of-concept study to fabricate a model implant within a biological context.
• Employed light-based additive manufacturing techniques for in situ fabrication.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated the effective in situ fabrication of a model implant using 3D printing.
• Achieved fabrication within a clinically relevant timescale.
• Validated the potential of photocurable materials for this application.

Conclusions:

• In vivo 3D printing is a viable approach for supporting minimally invasive musculoskeletal repair.
• The developed method offers a promising route for on-demand, in situ implant creation.
• Future development could enable the creation of complex, functionally gradient structures in vivo.