A analysis staff from the College of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has developed a 3D-printed femur mannequin, probably paving the way in which for cost-effective and customizable options in orthopedic surgical procedure preparation, biomechanical research, and bone restore. Created via a collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Middle’s orthopedic surgeons, this 3D-printed femur represents a brand new strategy to bettering surgical procedure planning and coaching with a patient-specific focus.
Challenges in Conventional Bone Surgical procedure Preparation
In conventional follow, orthopedic surgeons depend on cadaver bones or artificial bone fashions to review surgical methods and consider the effectiveness of implants. Nonetheless, cadaver bones are costly and troublesome to supply, and commercially obtainable artificial bones might lack the anatomical precision wanted for custom-made remedy. Moreover, they will take time to accumulate and will not replicate the distinctive geometry required for patient-specific procedures.
The 3D-Printed Answer
Led by Dr. Wei Li, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UTD, the analysis staff designed a 3D-printed femur prototype created from polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable polymer broadly utilized in 3D printing. This materials permits for cost-effective manufacturing, with every femur mannequin costing round $7 to print. At practically eight inches in size and one inch in diameter, the printed bone represents the midsection of a human femur and demonstrates mechanical properties carefully aligned with pure human bone in lab testing.
The 3D printing course of allows engineers to duplicate the exact geometry of a affected person’s femur, probably permitting medical doctors to customise fashions to suit particular person sufferers. This functionality may very well be important in bone tumor remedy, the place replicating affected bone sections may support in testing focused therapies.
Functions and Future Instructions
Past offering an economical different for biomechanical research and surgical coaching, the 3D-printed femur has broader implications. Dr. Li means that the polymer mannequin may in the future exchange supplies like titanium presently utilized in bone restore. In one other promising utility, researchers plan to include 3D-printed tumors into these fashions, permitting for preoperative testing and remedy improvement instantly on simulated bone constructions.
This undertaking has introduced collectively specialists from completely different disciplines, together with orthopedic oncology surgeon Dr. Robert Weinschenk and hand and higher extremity surgeon Dr. Richard Samade from UT Southwestern. Each surgeons deliver engineering experience to the undertaking, enhancing the collaborative strategy in exploring novel orthopedic options.
The promising outcomes from this research, revealed within the Journal of Orthopaedic Analysis, spotlight the potential for 3D-printed bones to advance orthopedic care. Additional analysis will refine the fashions and discover extra scientific functions, together with potential use in bone tissue regeneration.
Because the analysis progresses, the UTD and UT Southwestern groups are optimistic about how 3D printing can remodel orthopedic surgical procedure and allow extra customized and exact remedies.
Supply: information.utdallas.edu
