3D Printing of Complex Orthopedic Implants Fills Niche Role

Since the Lima Corporate 3D printing facility for complex custom orthopedic implants opened last March at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), HSS orthopedic surgeons like Mark P. Figgie, MD, have successfully used the new facility to produce implants for a range of patients for whom other solutions would have been inadequate. Dr Figgie, chief emeritus of the Surgical Arthritis Service and professor of orthopedic surgery at HSS, talked with Medscape about the hospital's process for using custom implants and current challenges in matching patients to the best orthopedic implant while getting them treated in a timely manner. Questions and answers in this interview have been edited for clarity.

What is the surgical planning and implant design process for using 3D-printed models and implants at HSS?

First, we identify the patient who may benefit from having a 3D model made, and that can be anything from somebody who's had previous surgery to others where the bone geometry is unusual, and we're not sure if an implant is going to fit properly. We have some patients where there's been significant wearing away of the bone in, for example, the acetabulum, and we want to see what bone is left to determine if a standard implant will fit or if we need to do any sort of patient-specific implant to make up for the bone loss.