Designing a Custom 3D Printed Ankle Cage Implant
Designing a Custom 3D Printed Ankle Cage Implant
Designing a Custom 3D Printed Ankle Cage Implant
Designing a Custom 3D Printed Ankle Cage Implant
After meeting with the orthopedic surgeon to discuss desired design features and inputs, the patient's affected anatomy is first repositioned into a load bearing position.
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In this case, a spherical ankle cage was chosen as the best fit given the patient's circumstances. A sphere is placed at the base of the tibial canal, with the bottom of the sphere resting on the subtalar joint of the calcaneus. The implant is then designed about the sphere's center of gravity.
Portions of the Tibia, Talus, and Calcaneus must be removed to allow for proper placement of the implant. This will be done using an acetabular reamer.
A reaming guide is designed along the contours of the talus to allow for the accurate placement of a k-wire at the sphere's center of gravity. The acetabular reamer will then be centered using this k-wire.
Here it is Post Op!