Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40503244›Full record

ArticleJournal of hand and microsurgery2025

Application of 3D printing for customised treatment of upper limb disorders.

Saurabh Kumar Gupta, Navaneeth Holla, Satyam Suwas, Kaushik Chatterjee, Sathya Vamsi Krishna

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of hand and microsurgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Saurabh Kumar GuptaDepartment of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, C.V. Raman Avenue, Bangalore, 560012, India.
Navaneeth HollaDepartment of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, C.V. Raman Avenue, Bangalore, 560012, India.
Satyam SuwasDepartment of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, C.V. Raman Avenue, Bangalore, 560012, India.
Kaushik ChatterjeeDepartment of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, C.V. Raman Avenue, Bangalore, 560012, India.
Sathya Vamsi KrishnaDepartment of Hand Surgery, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Orthopaedics and Trauma, Byrasandra, Jayanagar, Bangalore, 560011, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Three-dimensional (3D) technology is rapidly emerging as a valuable tool in the medical and healthcare industry, particularly for performing corrective osteotomies in upper limb extremities. This study involved patients with impaired upper limb function who underwent corrective osteotomies using a computer-assisted 3D surgical planning process with 3D-printed, patient-specific plates. The biomechanical performance of these 3D-printed, patient-specific plates was enhanced while maintaining crucial properties such as corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, ensuring their safety for clinical application in humans. The surgical outcomes were analyzed by visualizing bone healing, and an evaluation was conducted to assess the success of these methodologies by comparing the clinical outcomes achieved with those planned during the surgical planning phase. Patients and methods: Eight cases involving malunions and deformities were treated using patient-specific bone plates fabricated through metal additive manufacturing. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were used to generate virtual bone models for surgical planning. Normal/anatomical bone alignment was achieved by mirroring the contralateral healthy bone and projecting it onto the affective bone model. Surgical guides and patient-specific bone implants were then designed. These implants underwent an innovative cyclic heat treatment to optimize their strength and ductility for enhanced biomechanical performance. Results: The final outcomes for the patients were assessed using functional scoring and radiographs. The 3D-printed surgical guides facilitated accurate osteotomy angulation and precise positioning of drilled holes, ensuring optimal placement of customised, mechanically enhanced bone plates. All patients demonstrated improved DASH scores and experienced reduced or no pain after healing. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the success of personalized treatment for upper limb disorders using 3D-printed, patient-specific plates, which showed improved biomechanical performance after tailored heat treatment. This method of preparing patient-specific implants offers a safe and highly effective approach to treating malunions and deformities in the upper limbs with reduced surgical time.

Indexed as

3D printingPatient-specific surgical guide and implantsSurgical planningTi6Al4V ELIUpper limb

Identifiers

PMID40503244
PMCPMC12150093

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.