THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING IN SPINAL SURGERY:  UPDATE AND SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Francisco Alves de Araújo-Júnior; Jurandir Marcondes Ribas-Filho; Osvaldo Malafaia; Aluízio Augusto Arantes-Júnior; Guilherme Henrique Weiler Ceccato; Pedro Helo dos Santos-Neto

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.9073

##article.authors##

Francisco Alves de Araújo-Júnior Evangelical Mackenzie College of Paraná
Jurandir Marcondes Ribas-Filho Evangelical Mackenzie College of Paraná
Osvaldo Malafaia Evangelical Mackenzie College of Paraná https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1829-7071
Aluízio Augusto Arantes-Júnior Clinical Hospital
Guilherme Henrique Weiler Ceccato Mackenzie Evangelical University Hospital
Pedro Helo dos Santos-Neto Mackenzie Evangelical University Hospital

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.9073

Keywords:

Three-dimensional printing, Spine surgery, Technology

Abstract

Introduction: Three-dimensional printing is considered the "third industrial revolution". It was developed as a promising innovation for many areas, including medicine. There are many ways to use 3D printing in spinal surgery: patient and healthcare professional education, preoperative applications such as surgical planning and intraoperative applications.

Objective: To carry out an update and systematic review on the use of 3DP in spinal surgery.

Method: A systematic literature review was conducted using the PubMed database in January 2024, using the terms "spine surgery" and "3D printing". Articles published between 2014 and 2024 and only clinical trials were selected. Articles that were not in English or Spanish were excluded. This review followed the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline.

Result: After screening and evaluation, 10 articles were included. Regarding the diseases studied, the majority were deformities (n = 3) and trauma (n = 3), followed by degenerative diseases (n = 2). Two articles dealt with surgical technique. Six studied the creation of personalized guides for inserting screws; 2 were about education, 1 related to educating patients about their disease and the other to teaching residents surgical technique; 2 other articles addressed surgical planning, where biomodels were printed to study anatomy and surgical programming.

Conclusion: Three-dimensional printing biomodels and personalized guides for screw implants are useful for use in spinal surgery. The use of this technology has enabled patient and medical team education, as well as optimizing preoperative planning and reducing surgical time and radiation exposure in spinal surgery.