Clinical Application And Progress Of 3D Printed Titanium Alloys in Orthopedics
3D printing technology has the huge advantages of individualization and precise customization. Combined with the excellent characteristics of titanium alloys, it is customized according to the patient's original bone structure to produce implants that are consistent with their own bones and have a similar microstructure. Advantages: Restore biomechanics to the greatest extent, shorten the process of soft tissue re-adaptation, better achieve bone ingrowth, and achieve bone healing faster.
The current clinical application of 3D printing technology also has its limitations:
(1) Accurate and personalized 3D printing relies too much on imaging data and requires extremely high accuracy of imaging data. Certain special circumstances where imaging data collection is limited will affect the implementation of 3D printing materials.
(2) To collect image data and make 3D titanium alloy printing, 3D printers, supporting CT, MRI equipment, titanium alloy materials, modeling and software systems are required. The material costs are high and some patients cannot afford it; equipment investment and use require doctors and Engineers work together to coordinate and participate in multiple disciplines; currently limited by technology, the production cycle is long, and emergency surgery is difficult to apply.
(3) In terms of manufacturing orthopedic implants, the optimal mechanical properties, degradation, pore size and void size of 3D printed titanium alloys still need further research;
(4) The short-term effect of 3D printing titanium alloy is satisfactory, but due to the short application time, there is still a lack of long-term follow-up results and treatment of complications.
To sum up, although there are still many problems to be solved in the 3D printing titanium alloy technology, this technology has unique advantages, consistent with the current concept of precision medicine, and has great research value in the field of orthopedics. It is believed that with the continuous in-depth development of technology, 3D printing titanium alloy can overcome its current shortcomings and produce a qualitative leap.
