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. 2020 Jan 18;11(1):57-67.
doi: 10.5312/wjo.v11.i1.57.

Use of three-dimensional printing in preoperative planning in orthopaedic trauma surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Catrin Morgan  1 , Chetan Khatri  2 , Sammy A Hanna  3 , Hutan Ashrafian  4 , Khaled M Sarraf  2
Affiliations

Use of three-dimensional printing in preoperative planning in orthopaedic trauma surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Catrin Morgan et al. World J Orthop. .

Abstract

Background: With the increasing complexity of surgical interventions performed in orthopaedic trauma surgery and the improving technologies used in three-dimensional (3D) printing, there has been an increased interest in the concept. It has been shown that 3D models allow surgeons to better visualise anatomy, aid in planning and performing complex surgery. It is however not clear how best to utilise the technique and whether this results in better outcomes.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of 3D printing used in pre-operative planning in orthopaedic trauma surgery on clinical outcomes.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis. Medline, Ovid and Embase were searched from inception to February 8, 2018. Randomised controlled trials, case-control studies, cohort studies and case series of five patients or more were included across any area of orthopaedic trauma. The primary outcomes were operation time, intra-operative blood loss and fluoroscopy used.

Results: Seventeen studies (922 patients) met our inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The use of 3D printing across all specialties in orthopaedic trauma surgery demonstrated an overall reduction in operation time of 19.85% [95% confidence intervals (CI): (-22.99, -16.71)], intra-operative blood loss of 25.73% [95%CI: (-31.07, -20.40)], and number of times fluoroscopy was used by 23.80% [95%CI: (-38.49, -9.10)].

Conclusion: Our results suggest that the use of 3D printing in pre-operative planning in orthopaedic trauma reduces operative time, intraoperative blood loss and the number of times fluoroscopy is used.

Keywords: Orthopaedic surgery; Three-dimensional printing; Trauma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Search strategy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of operation time with the use of three-dimensional printing.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of blood loss with the use of three-dimensional printing.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of fluoroscopy used with the use of three-dimensional printing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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