COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING OF REVERSE SHOULDER PROSTHESIS: A 3D PRINTER STUDY
Didem Venüs YILDIZ Mehmet Burçin PİŞKİN
AbstractThe shoulder joint is a more complex structure than the hip or knee joints. In addition to the overall complexity of the shoulder joint, two different factors influence the insufficient outcome of shoulder replacement: the shoulder prosthesis design is far from fully developed and it is difficult to place these shoulder prosthesis due to shoulder anatomy. There are various treatments for any shoulder failure such as total shoulder arthroplasty and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. Due to its reverse design than normal shoulder anatomy, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty has different physiological and biomechanical properties. Post-operative achievement of this arthroplasty depends on improved design of reverse total shoulder prosthesis. In this study, data of human shoulder was collected by 3D Computer Tomography (CT) machine in dicom format. This data transferred into 3D medical image processing software to reconstruct patient’s shoulder bones geometry. 3D design of prosthesis was imported into 3D printer system to manufacture the structure. In this study, application of 3D design and 3D printing technique were demonstrated for the orthopedic surgical procedures. This additive manufacturing technique opens new doors to patient specific implants and customized treatment with several advantages as less production time, prosthesis longevity, cost savings and pre-operative planning opportunity.