Immediate Outcomes and Benefits of 3D Printed Braces for the Treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.
Edmond Lou, Kenwick Ng, Doug Hill
PMID 36188896WHAT IT FOUND
Six adolescents with scoliosis wore 3D printed braces.
They had an average immediate in-brace correction of 10 degrees. The braces were 3 mm thick, weighed 0.74 of a traditional brace, and cost CAD $356 versus $563. Long-term curve control was not shown.
Key findings
01In six adolescents, the average immediate in-brace correction was 10 degrees (41%) from an average pre-brace Cobb angle of 26 degrees.
02Total labor time was 6.25 hours for the traditional brace and 2.58 hours for the 3D printed brace, a difference of 3.7 hours; total time to ready was 6.75 hours versus 58 hours.
03The traditional brace was 4.5 mm thick, the 3D printed brace was 3 mm thick, the weight ratio was 1:0.74, and total cost was CAD $563 versus CAD $356.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
Only six participants were studied, so the results are preliminary. Long-term effectiveness and curve progression were not measured. The traditional brace was made as a backup, and no participant needed to use it, so the study did not compare clinical correction between the two brace types. The reported correction came from a combined process that included ultrasound-assisted pad and pressure simulation, so the effect of 3D printing alone cannot be separated. The method requires an experienced ultrasound technician and custom software that currently needs operator experience. All treated major curves were very flexible, with BRSI values above 1, so it is unclear how the results apply to stiffer curves.
Declared interests
The work was funded by the Women and Children's Health Research Institute and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The authors declared no commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that 3D printed braces are proven to treat or prevent progression of scoliosis. The study measured immediate in-brace correction in six adolescents, used an ultrasound-assisted design process, and did not compare long-term outcomes with the traditional brace.