Rapid prototyping medical models for dysplastic hip orthopaedic surgery

Abstract

This research was carried out to show the usefulness of rapid prototyping (RP) medical models in dysplastic hip orthopaedic surgery. There is a lack of published information on the use of RP medical models in planning of dysplastic hip orthopaedic surgery, so this research was conducted to provide such information. Computed tomography (CT) of a patient with a dysplastic hip was used. Special medical software was used to prepare the three-dimensional model of the patient, which was then used to produce the RP medical models. These models were then given to the orthopaedic surgeons to plan for the dysplastic hip surgeries. Measurements on the CT scan data were taken before surgery. Finally, surgeons’ comments on their experience of planning dysplastic hip surgery with the use of RP medical models were obtained. The CT scan measurements taken before surgery indicated the severity of the dysplastic hip in each patient. Surgeons found the RP medical models to be very useful in planning of surgery, as they helped them to make decisions, increased their confidence, and also reduced surgery time. The results obtained show the effectiveness of using RP medical models in planning of dysplastic hip orthopaedic surgery. This research provides an understanding of the use of RP medical models in planning of dysplastic hip orthopaedic surgery. Surgeons had fresh experience of using models that greatly influenced the success of the surgery.