Clinical effects of 3D printing-assisted posterolateral incision in the treatment of ankle fractures involving the posterior malleolus

Frontiers in Surgery

Surgery

Jieshi Wu¹  Xinglin Wu²  Pengpeng Zhang²  Kaihang Lu²  Quanming Zhao²  Yankun Li²  Yan Xia³  Hongming Zheng³  Xiaohui Ni⁴ 

[1] Department of Orthopaedics, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China;Department of Orthopaedics, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, China;Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Affiliated Danyang Hospital of Nantong University, Danyang, China;Department of Orthopedics, Dafeng People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China;

关键词: posterolateral approach;    trimalleolar fracture;    internal fixation;    fractures - bone;    3D printing;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fsurg.2023.1176254

 received in 2023-02-28, accepted in 2023-05-03,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical outcomes of a 3D printing-assisted posterolateral approach for the treatment of ankle fractures involving the posterior malleolus.MethodsA total of 51 patients with ankle fractures involving the posterior malleolus admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected. The patients were divided into 3D printing group (28 cases) and control group (23 cases). 3D printing was performed for ankle fractures, followed by printing of a solid model and simulation of the operation on the 3D model. The operation was then performed according to the preoperative plan, including open reduction and internal fixation via the posterolateral approach with the patient in the prone position. Routine x-ray and CT examinations of the ankle joint were performed, and ankle function was evaluated using the American Foot and Ankle Surgery Association (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score.ResultsAll patients underwent x-ray and CT examinations. All fractures healed clinically, without loss of reduction or failure of internal fixation. Good clinical effects were achieved in both groups of patients. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency in the 3D printing group were significantly less than those in the control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the anatomical reduction rate of fractures or the incidence of surgical complications (p > 0.05).ConclusionThe 3D printing-assisted posterolateral approach is effective in the treatment of ankle fractures involving the posterior malleolus. The approach can be well planned before the operation, is simple to perform, yields good fracture reduction and fixation, and has good prospects for clinical application.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© 2023 Zheng, Xia, Ni, Wu, Li, Zhang, Wu, Lu and Zhao.