3D Printed Replica Guides Leg Surgery

Chinese orthopedic surgeons, among the boldest and most inventive orthopods in the world, have used 3D printing to straighten a young patient’s severely bent legs and, at the same time, performed double knee replacement surgery on him. Doctors admitted the patient to the hospital with genu varum deformity (also called bow-leggedness, bandiness, bandy-leg, and tibia vara, is a physical deformity marked by bowing of the lower leg in relation to the thigh, giving the appearance of an archer’s bow).

The patient’s right leg had a varus deformity of 43 degrees, while the left had a 20 degree deformity. The deformities made it increasingly difficult for the young man to walk and caused him a great deal of pain.

This case was deemed extremely rare and very severe, leaving surgeons contemplating an appropriate solution. In the end, they ended up opting for double knee replacement surgery. They decided to 3D print replicas of the patient’s knees and legs in order to better aid in both planning for the surgery and explaining the procedure to the patient.

According to Eddie Krassensteen, writing for 3-D Print, Han Shoujiang, M.D., director of physicians at the hospital, said, “The 3D printed model was able to greatly improve surgical accuracy and ultimately the chances of success. High-tech 3D printing joint technology can advance surgery through mock procedures, ” he explained. “On the one hand it allows the surgeon to perform a simulated surgical procedure, repeatedly. On the other hand, it allows for customized patient-specific surgical instruments to be created via 3D models.”

According to Krassensteen, the surgery, which took place in July, was a complete success, with the young man able to walk pain free for the first time in 10 years.