Patient-Specific Surgical Implants Made of 3D Printed PEEK: Material, Technology, and Scope of Surgical Application

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) is rapidly gaining acceptance in the healthcare sector. Three-dimensional (3D) virtual surgical planning, fabrication of anatomical models, and patient-specific implants (PSI) are well-established processes in the surgical fields. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has been used, mainly in the reconstructive surgeries as a reliable alternative to other alloplastic materials for the fabrication of PSI. Recently, it has become possible to fabricate PEEK PSI with Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology. 3D printing of PEEK using FFF allows construction of almost any complex design geometry, which cannot be manufactured using other technologies. In this study, we fabricated various PEEK PSI by FFF 3D printer in an effort to check the feasibility of manufacturing PEEK with 3D printing. Based on these preliminary results, PEEK can be successfully used as an appropriate biomaterial to reconstruct the surgical defects in a "biomimetic" design.

Figure 1

Medical grade PEEK filament. https://apiumtec.com/de/new-peek-printing.

Figure 2

PEEK FFF 3D printer (Model P220).

Figure 3

Workflow to generate a 3D model. Thieringer FM.

Figure 4

3D printed PEEK osteosynthesis plates. Thieringer FM et al. AMPA 2017.

Figure 5

3D printed PEEK cranioplasty PSI for repair of defects in the cranial vault. Thieringer FM et al. AMPA 2017.

Figure 6

Lightweight midface-zygomatic bone PSI with support structures for immediate replacement. Thieringer FM et al. AMPA 2017.

Figure 7

PSI small fragment osteosynthesis plates. With permission of Apium GmbH.

Figure 8

Prosthetic implant for scaphoid bone replacement (green body), patent pending (EP15195745.1 PCT).

Figure 9

Medical version of the PEEK FFF printer (Model M220).