Personalized 3D-printed amniotic fornical ring for ocular surface reconstruction

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Ocular surface diseases often require amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) for reconstruction.
• Conventional sutured AMT (SAMT) can be time-consuming and costly.
• There is a need for innovative, efficient, and cost-effective solutions for ocular surface reconstruction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of personalized 3D-printed polylactic acid amniotic fornical rings (AFR) for ocular surface reconstruction.
• To compare outcomes of 3D-printed AFR-assisted AMT with conventional sutured AMT (SAMT).

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, interventional case series comparing 3D-printed AFR-assisted AMT (31 patients, 40 eyes) with SAMT (19 patients, 22 eyes).
• Analysis included patient epidemiology, operative duration, epithelial healing time, vision changes, morbidity, and costs.
• Indications included chemical burns, thermal burns, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in corneal epithelial healing percentage or visual acuity outcomes between the groups.
• The 3D-printed AFR group demonstrated significantly shorter operation durations.
• The average cost per eye was significantly lower in the 3D-printed AFR group.
• Mean dissolution time was comparable (AFR: 15 ± 11 days vs. SAMT: 14 ± 7 days).

Conclusions:

• 3D-printed polylactic acid scaffolds are a viable option for AFR devices in treating ocular surface diseases.
• Personalized 3D-printed AFR is superior to conventional SAMT in terms of operation duration and cost-effectiveness.
• This approach can reduce the financial burden on healthcare systems while maintaining comparable clinical outcomes.