3D printing-assisted percutaneous fixation makes the surgery for scaphoid nonunion more accurate and less invasive

Purpose: The study was to explore whether the 3-dimensional printing guiding plate system could facilitate the modified procedure for arthroscopic treatment of nondisplaced scaphoid nonunion.

Methods: Patients, diagnosed with scaphoid nonunion without displacement, were randomly assigned into two groups. In Group A, the 3-dimensional printing guiding plate system was used for guiding fixation during the surgery. In Group B, fixation was performed with intra-operative fluoroscopy. The bone operation time was recorded during the surgery. The patients were evaluated before surgery and followed-up after six post-operative months, including motion ratio, strength ratio, Visual Analogue Scale, modified Mayo Scores, Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation scores, plain radiography and CT scan.

Results: Sixteen patients were recruited for the study. The average bone operation time in Group A was statistically shorter than that in Group B.

Conclusions: 3-dimensional printing technique-assisted arthroscopic bone graft and fixation of scaphoid nonunion constitute an effective and accurate clinical treatment option.

The translational potential of this article: The concept and technique of 3D printing assisted percutaneous fixation introduced in this paper have the potential to be applied in a variety of operations requiring accurate percutaneous fixation, especially for the joint injuries.