Patient-specific instrument with 3D printing technology in orthopaedic trauma: A narrative review

3D printing technology has been increasingly used in orthopaedic surgery. Current literature has demonstrated the benefits of applying 3D printing in orthopaedic trauma with the use of patient-specific instruments (PSI) including surgical guides and implants on selected bone fracture regions. This narrative review outlines the development of PSI including the navigation templates and implants using 3D printing technology. A comprehensive summary was presented for the application and effectiveness of PSI for fracture treatment in the upper extremities, pelvic region and lower extremities surgeries, particularly in regards to operative time, surgical accuracy and functional outcomes. 3D-printed patient-specific navigation guide had been used in reduction and fixation surgeries such as for navigating Kirschner wires (K-wire) insertion and screw placement in different bone fracture regions. PSI significantly increased surgical accuracy of K-wire insertion and screw placements, with significant reduction in operative time. For functional outcomes, 3D-printed navigation guide was comparable to conventional surgery. There are increasing studies exploring the clinical feasibility of patient-specific metal implant using 3D printing technology with advantage of high accuracy in fracture surgeries. Future studies to investigate the clinical efficacy of the patient-specific metal implants are warranted.