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How is 3D printing used in traumatology?

Fracture of bones, rupture of cartilage or ligaments always evokes anxiety: how it will grow together, what consequences will it have in the future, will it be necessary to do osteosynthesis or artificial cartilage, will mobility be restored. But in the context of a technological breakthrough in the artificial creation of tissues and, moreover, printing organs on a 3D printer, approaches to eliminating fractures, cracks, ruptures in surgical traumatology, as well as the possibilities of rehabilitation of patients with complex fractures and dislocations are undergoing changes. How is 3D printing used in medicine and in traumatology, in particular?

Having learned how to visualize bone fractures using a 3D printer (which allows you to print fractured bones with computer accuracy and study the structure of the fracture to plan the course of the operation), we switched to another plane of application of 3D printing - "stitching" of fractures with a 3D pen (3D bio-pen). Australian researchers at the University of Wollongong have developed a bio-pen capable of building (connecting) damaged tissues of the musculoskeletal system (bones, cartilage, tendons) with stem cells with biopolymer. The 3D bio-pen is filled with living cells, which are applied to the damaged area, fill cracks, or hold the scattered cartilaginous and connective tissue together. Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, the biopolymer solidifies, and living cells begin their work - they grow and recreate the functions of the damaged tissue.

But 3D printing technology didn't stop there either. Startups in the field of venture technologies have taken the path of creating exoskeletons and orthoses on a 3D printer , which greatly alleviates the suffering and inconvenience of patients with injuries to bones, ligaments, and joints. Polymeric orthoses and exoskeleton are much lighter than plaster casts and corsets, they can more accurately repeat the shape of the limb and the bend of the joint, do not interfere with the uniform flow of blood to damaged tissues, have an aesthetic appearance and are much more hygienic than tissue plaster casts, since they allow you to freely take water procedures, which cannot be said about plaster clamps.

Medicine is no less interested in 3D printing technologies than other industries, because in addition to replacement tissues, prevention and treatment of injuries, there is also the field of prosthetics, where the manufacture of prostheses that restore the functions of the musculoskeletal system requires computer precision.