Point-of-Care Additive Fused Filament Manufacturing of Patient-Specific TA Reconstruction Implants

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

12:00 PM-2:00 PM

BIOMED Master's Thesis Defense

Title:
Point-of-Care Additive Fused Filament Manufacturing of Patient-Specific Triflange Acetabular (TA) Reconstruction Implants

Speaker:
Ansh Asit Gandhi, Master's Candidate
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University
 
Advisor:
Steven M. Kurtz, PhD
Research Professor
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University

Details:
Significant loss of bone, resulting in pelvic discontinuity, often requires surgical reconstruction to integrate patient-specific triflange cup implants for severe cases. Current cups are typically composed of metal alloys that are additively manufactured with methods like Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). This can inflate the cost and difficulty of achieving the precision necessary to manufacture patient-specific geometry, resulting in the use of standardized implants. Additionally, metal implants have been known to cause side effects like metallosis and tissue damage. To address these difficulties, more practical additive manufacturing methods with biocompatible thermoplastics are being considered that can be additively manufactured onsite at the hospital. This study aims to evaluate fused filament fabrication (FFF) for its effectiveness in developing dimensionally accurate patient-specific triflange cup implants.

Two triflange cup designs were developed and tested. These designs were individually generated to be custom fitted to a male and female CT scan sourced and segmented from the New Mexico Decedent Imaging Database (NMDID). After approval by an orthopedic surgeon, multiple male and female samples were fabricated using FFF. Samples were then scanned three-dimensionally and computationally verified through comparison to the original implant designs. By evaluating FFF as a triflange cup manufacturing method, this study makes strides in developing a workflow for orthopedic surgeons to fabricate patient-specific implants onsite, reducing lead time and the likelihood of revisional procedures.

Contact Information

Natalia Broz
njb33@drexel.edu