Track: Graduate Student Paper Competition

Abstract

Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing are increasingly bringing innovation to orthopedic surgery by allowing customization of surgical procedures. This study proposes the design and 3D printing of patient-specific surgical cutting guides (PSCG) that can be implemented in orthopedic surgery. Cutting guides are surgical tools that allow surgeons to perform cutting operations more accurately, achieving the desired result with high accuracy. During an osteotomy, for example, the surgeon will be able to better determine the position of the cutting line and its direction. This study aims to propose an advanced method of designing cutting guides for an orthopedic surgery procedure. Proposed tools are obtained by an additive manufacturing process that starts with a 3D model of the patient's bone obtained from CT scan images and ends by designing the patient-specific cutting guide model in a CAD environment. Virtual surgical planning (VSP) allows for increasing the surgeon's awareness for developing an orthopedic surgical strategy and allows for the design of cutting guides designed around the patient's specific anatomy.