Specialists from ChM helped to correct deformed forearm of a 10-year-old girl.

Thanks to the close cooperation of specialist from Carolina Medical Center and engineers from ChM, it was possible to perform an operational correction of the deformed bones of the forearm of a 10-year-old girl.

During the procedure surgeons used personalized instruments and implants designed individually for the needs of this particular case. The design and printing of models and prototypes in 3D printing technology played a key role in the whole process.

Although the operation itself was not particularly complicated – it took just a few hours – the preparations for it took a few weeks. On the basis of CT images, engineers from ChM performed digital visualizations of both deformed forearm bones, and then reconstructed the correct axis of the limb.

In the first phase instruments and implants were made in 3D printing technology from polymers. Along with the implant, dedicated instruments were also developed. Bone models, prototypes of implants and instruments were used to test and verify the individual approach to deformation.
On this basis, titanium implants were designed and a special template with a “targeter” for their precise mounting and incisions that allowed for correction of the bone axis.

It was a pilot project, although the ChM team had previously made custom-made implants. It required considerable commitment from engineers and designers, especially regarding the proper preparation of project documentation.