The effect of 3d printed spine model on surgical planning of complex spine deformities

ABSTRACT Abnormal curvature of vertebral column was first described in "Corpus Hippocraticum" by Hippocrates. Throughout human history, human anatomy distorted by deformities has been perceived and approached differently in every society. Until today, the patients suffering from such deformities have been treated with methods such as supportive treatment, traction and orthopaedic corset. Thanks to the improvements of implant characteristics, these methods have been replaced by surgical treatment. Following technological advancements, there have been many developments not only in surgical methods and instruments but also in diagnosis and treatment methods. 3-D printers, one of the popular innovations of today's world, are more commonly used in everyday life, as well as in medicine. The aim of this study is to present the effect of vertebral column models with severe deformities produced by 3-D printers on the surgical decision of surgeons. In our study, providing them with the images of plain radiography, computerized tomography, 3-D computerized tomography and 3-D vertebral column models produced by 3-D printers of 5 patients with severe vertebral deformities, we asked 5 surgeons to make surgical plannings for deformity correction. As a result of the surgical plannings, the number of instrumented vertebra, the level of osteotomy and the time required for the surgeons to make decisions on treatment have been analyzed. Regarding level and number of instrumented vertebra, no significant difference has been shown in surgical planings made by X-ray CT, 3-D CT and 3-D models. Regarding level of osteotomy, no significant difference has been shown in surgical planings made by X-ray CT, 3-D CT and 3-D models. In terms of time required for the surgeons to make decisions on surgical planning, 3-D models outperformed the other two methods. As the statistical data indicate, more accurate data is likely to be obtained by continuing and expanding the study with the participation of more surgeons and the use of more models.