Article3D printing in medicine2025
Economic evaluation of the manufacturing of 3D-printed wrist orthoses vs low temperature thermoplastic wrist orthoses.
Article in 3D printing in medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Impact of Material Stiffness on Medial Arch Support and Stress Redistribution in 3D-Printed Insoles for Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The Multidimensional Impact of Traditional Orthopaedic Casting and the Role of Emerging Immobilization Technologies: A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn recent years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a new manufacturing technique of custom-fitted orthoses, showing comparable stability, and wearing comfort than traditional orthoses. However, there is a paucity of data on economic aspects of the manufacturing of 3D-printed orthoses (3DPOs). The aim of this study is to economically evaluate the manufacturing process of 3DPOs compared to conventional low-temperature thermoplastic orthoses (LTTOs) in a clinical setting.
methodsA prospective cost minimisation analysis from a healthcare provider perspective was conducted including 17 wrist orthoses (8 3DPOs and 9 LTTOs).
resultsThe mean cost per orthosis was significantly higher in 3DPOs (€ 46.54) than in LTTOs (€ 30.28). The main cost factors in 3DPOs were the labour (62.2%) and purchase cost (22.2%), while the material (69.4%) and labour cost (30.6%) were most important in LTTOs.
conclusionsThe high initial investment might be a hurdle in the implementation of 3DPOs in hand rehabilitation, however, lower material cost and less waste is a benefit compared to LTTOs. Large-scale use of the infrastructure and developments in technology might reduce the investments needed in the future.
trial registration: not applicable.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.