Application of 3D printed models in the surgical treatment of spinal deformity

To test if preoperative planning with 3 dimensional (3D)-printed spine models can increase the effectiveness and safety of spinal deformity surgery.

A total of 53 patients who were treated in our center for spinal deformities from January 2010 to January 2018 were included in the current study. They were divided into two groups based on whether 3D-printed models were used in the surgical planning. A total of 28 patients who were treated with 3D-printed models were assigned to the experimental group, and 25 patients who were treated with conventional methods were assigned to the control group. Duration of surgery, intraoperative hemorrhage, incidence of surgery related complications, Oswestry disability index (ODI), visual analogue scale (VAS), and Cobb's angle were compared between the two groups before and after surgery.

There were significant differences in the duration of surgery, intraoperative hemorrhage and intraoperative x-ray exposure between the two groups (P<0.01). Cobb's angle was smaller in the experimental group than in the control group when measured three days and a year after surgery (P<0.01). Although there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups (P>0.05), Oswestry disability index and VAS pain scores were lower a month and a year after the surgery than before the surgery (P<0.01).

Surgical planning using 3D-printed spine models can decrease the operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, and x-ray exposure, and help achieve satisfactory structural restoration in patients with severe spinal deformity.