Insights & Media
3DMorphic in the media
Is Endplate Remodelling in Spinal Fusion Beneficial or Detrimental?
The approach taken can have significant biomechanical effects. The spinal vertebral body endplate shapes undulate variably, whereas most Off-The-Shelf (OTS) fusion implants have flat contact surfaces. This study explores some potential biomechanical consequences and surgical options for fitting flat sided implants into the curved interbody space.
Fusing Technology to Create Life-Changing Custom Spine Implants
We talked to Dr. William Parr, co-founder of 3DMorphic, an Australian start-up that designs and manufactures patient-specific spinal fusion devices via titanium 3D printing. With a combination of Materialise Mimics Medical and their own in-house software and production, they are the only company that has a process that is fast enough to treat emergency trauma spinal patients with patient-specific implants. We cover why spinal surgery needs to get it right the first time, its processes, challenges, and what the future holds for this innovative start-up that shares our aim of mass personalization for better patient care.
The Two Main Causes of Spinal Implant Subsidence
Spinal implants can subsidence—but not for the reasons most people assume. Subsidence occurs when an implanted device sinks into an adjacent vertebral bone, undermining the benefits of spinal fusion surgery and potentially leading to serious complications such as spinal instability, nerve compression, and misalignment.
Peer reviewed articles
PubMed Central
C3-C5 Chordoma Resection and Reconstruction with a Three-Dimensional Printed Titanium Patient-Specific Implant
With this case report, we aim to add to the clinical literature on the use of three-dimensional printed patient-specific implants in spinal surgery, show the current state of the art in patient-specific implant device design, present thorough clinical and radiographic outcomes, and discuss the suitability of titanium alloy as an implant material for patients with cancer.
PubMed Central
Revision of a Failed C5-7 Corpectomy Complicated by Esophageal Fistula Using a 3-Dimensional–Printed Zero-Profile Patient-Specific Implant
Esophageal fistulae are rare, though serious, complications of anterior cervical surgery. Hardware-related issues are important etiologic factors. Patient-specific implants (PSIs) have increasingly been adapted to spinal surgery and offer a range of benefits. Zero-profile implants are a recent development primarily aimed at combating postoperative dysphagia. We report the first use of a 3-dimensional (3D)-printed zero-profile PSI in managing implant failure with migration and a secondary esophageal fistula.
PubMed Central
3D printed anatomical (bio) models in spine surgery: clinical benefits and value to health care providers
The applications of three-dimensional printing (3DP) for clinical purposes have grown rapidly over the past decade. Recent advances include the fabrication of patient specific instrumentation, such as drill and cutting guides, patient specific/custom long term implants and 3DP of cellular scaffolds. Spine surgery in particular has seen enthusiastic early adoption of these applications. 3DP as a manufacturing method can be used to mass produce objects of the same design, but can also be used as a cost-effective method for manufacturing unique one-off objects, such as patient specific models and devices.
PubMed Central
Development of a customised interbody fusion device for treatment of canine disc-associated cervical spondylomyelopathy
The main purpose of this study was to design, manufacture and implant a customized three-dimensional (3D) printed, intervertebral spacer to treat disc-associated cervical spondylomyelopathy (DACSM) in dogs. This study also used advanced imaging to assess implant movement, subsidence and interbody fusion.
Sciencedirect.com
L5 en-bloc vertebrectomy with customized reconstructive implant: comparison of patient-specific versus off-the-shelf implant
Spine surgery has the potential to benefit from additive manufacturing/3-dimensional printing (3DP) technology with complex anatomical pathologies requiring reconstruction, with the potential to customize surgery to reduce operative times, reduce blood loss, provide immediate stability, and potentially improve fusion rates. We report a unique case of intraoperative trial placement of a custom patient-specific implant (PSI) versus the final implantation of a customizable off-the-shelf (OTS) implant. Data collected for comparison included time to implant, ease of implantation, firmness of press-fit, and fixation options after implantation.
Sciencedirect.com
Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Using a Personalized Approach: Is Custom the Future of Implants for Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgery?
Spine surgery has the potential to benefit from the use of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology (additive manufacturing), particularly in cases of complex anatomic diseases. Custom devices have the potential to reduce operative times, reduce blood loss, provide immediate stability, and improve fusion rates.
Pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3-dimensional printing for anterior cervical surgery: a review
Age-related degenerative changes and non-spondylotic pathologies of the cervical spine such as trauma and tumor can lead to compression of neurological structures and result in substantial alteration of the structural anatomy. The end-goal of surgical intervention is to decompress the neural structures which can be achieved via an anterior or a posterior approach, and stabilization of segments to restore stability and alignment. Three-dimensional printing (3DP or Additive Manufacturing) has been applied to the field of medicine, in particular orthopedics and neurosurgery.