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Frontiers of Engineering Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2011 Symposium (2012) / Chapter Skim
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Additive Manufacturing Is Changing Surgery--Andrew M. Christensen
Pages 25-32

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From page 25...
... Over the past two decades relatively small, continuous advances have pushed forward the concept of using AM as part of the surgical treatment of conditions ranging from arthritis of the hip or knee to ablation of malignant tumors of the head and neck. Historical uses of AM in medicine have been primarily limited to custom anatomical models based on medical imaging data and prototyping instruments for new designs (Figure 1)
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From page 26...
... or sizing of off-the-shelf implant components, which can be "customized" to fit the bone model. In the late 1980s came the introduction of the first commercial additive manufacturing process called stereolithography (SL or sterolithography apparatus [SLA]
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From page 27...
... This is probably why anatomical modeling technology by additive techniques found a home supporting surgical specialties such as oral and maxillofacial surgery, neurosurgery, and craniofacial surgery. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MATERIALS Additive manufacturing methods exist today allowing one to directly output CAD models in many different types of materials.
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From page 28...
... Several custom implant concepts have been reported, including work at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center on reconstruction for war veterans with large cranial defects. In this case a customized porous titanium implant is fabricated with integrated fixation for adherence to the surrounding skull with standard titanium screws.
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From page 29...
... The answer probably lies in two major areas, both having to do with the implants themselves. Additive manufacturing plays a key role in the first next logical step: functional elements driving design.
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From page 30...
... Output of customized surgical instruments via AM and direct AM-fabricated implants will continue to expand into many other anatomical areas and surgical specialties. The future is bright for direct metallic implant production via AM technologies because they are fundamental to eventually creating truly "customized" devices that will focus on functional elements and restoring biomechanical stability in
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From page 31...
... 2009. Use of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing to produce orthognathically ideal surgical outcomes: A paradigm shift in head and neck reconstruction.
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Key Terms

  • surgical plan
  • surgical planning
  • lot size
  • implantable metals
  • total knee

  • medical images
  • laser sintering
  • unlimited complexity
  • virtual surgical
  • using additive

  • surgical applications
  • materials additive
  • bone structures
  • bone surrounding
  • bone cuts

  • manufacturing plays
  • custom implant
  • major step
  • manufacturing methods
  • service company

  • functional elements
  • detailed instructions
  • knee replacement
  • step forward
  • directly output

  • models based
  • intramedullary canal
  • create objects
  • disposable surgical
  • surgical simulation


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
    More information on Chapter Skim is available.