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Introduction: Many fractures and other bone injuries can be successfully treated in such a way that the bone fully heals.  However, some injuries such as motorcycle accidents or pedestrian injuries or chronic issues such as infected bone can result in bone loss that generates a “segmental” gap in the shaft of the bone.  The human…

Introduction: Instrumented spinal fusion is a common procedure for patients with spinal deformity or degenerative wear-and-tear disorders.  Today, most patients do well following spine surgery even 8 years after surgery but some will ultimately require a revision or a “re-do” of their primary surgery(1) . As the field of spine surgery evolves, allowing older and…

Over the past decade, there has been an exponential increase in the utilization of 3D printing technologies for cardiovascular applications.  3D printing is being utilized in many cardiovascular centers of excellence for surgical planning and simulation, trainee education and patient counseling.  To attain the best surgical outcomes, cardiac surgeons need to operate efficiently and obtain…

Introduction: What is porosity? Porosity refers to the percentage of an object that is not solid. An example would be bread, a sponge, or your bones. Porosity allows for the optimization of strength vs weight. One technique to achieve porosity in orthopaedic Implants is through the use of lattice structures. Lattices are regular, 3d-dimensional, repeating…

Introduction: Osteoporosis and osteopenia, characterized by impaired bone structure, mass, and strength, have become increasingly common as our population ages. While osteoporosis has many socioeconomic implications, it also carries significant medical consequences. These can include delayed fracture healing and poor outcomes following surgeries as they rely on successful implant osseointegration such as spinal fusion and…

Additive manufacturing of medical devices and implants has been seeing increased industry adoption and is expected to become common place in modern medicine within the next decade. Numerous applications for 3D printing in medicine already exist and patients have already begun receiving the benefits of additive manufacturing post-surgery. Similar to any implant or medical device,…