Role of the orthopaedic surgeon in 3D printing: current applications and legal issues for a personalized medicine

Abstract

3D printing (I3D) is an additive manufacturing technology with a growing interest in medicine and especially in the specialty of orthopaedic surgery and traumatology. There are numerous applications that add value to the personalised treatment of patients: advanced preoperative planning, surgeries with specific tools for each patient, customised orthotic treatments, personalised implants or prostheses and innovative development in the field of bone and cartilage tissue engineering. This paper provides an update on the role that the orthopaedic surgeon and traumatologist plays as a user and prescriber of this technology and a review of the stages required for the correct integration of I3D into the hospital care flow, from the necessary resources to the current legal recommendations.

Keywords: Additive manufacturing; Bioimpresión; Bioprinting; Custom implants; Fabricación de aditivos; Guía quirúrgica específica para el paciente; Implantes personalizados; Impresión médica en 3D; Medical 3D printing; Patient-specific surgical guide.