Accurate placement of the glenoid component in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is critical to optimize implant longevity. Commercially available patient-specific instrumentation systems can improve implant placement, but may involve considerable expense and production delays of up to six weeks. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel technique for in-house production of 3D-printed, patient-specific glenoid guides, and compare the accuracy of glenoid guidepin placement between the patient-specific guide and a standard guide using a cadaveric model. Twenty cadaveric shoulder specimens were randomized to receive glenoid guidepin placement via standard TSA guide (Wright Medical, Memphis, TN) or patient-specific guide. Three-dimensional scapular models were reconstructed from CT scans with Mimics 20.0 imaging software (Materialise NV, Leuven, Belgium). A pre-surgical plan was created for all specimens for the central glenoid guidepin of 0º version and inclination angles. Central pin entry and exit points were also calculated. Patient-specific guides were constructed to achieve the planned pin trajectory in Rhino3D software (Robert McNeel & Associates, Seattle, WA). Guides were 3D-printed on a Form2 printer with Formlabs Dental SG Resin (Formlabs, Somerville, MA). Glenoid labrum and cartilage were removed with preservation of other soft tissues in all specimens to mimic intraoperative TSA conditions. A fellowship-trained, board-eligible orthopaedic surgeon placed a 2.5 mm diameter titanium guidepin into each glenoid using the assigned guide for each specimen. After pin placement, repeat CT scans were performed, and a blinded measurer used superimposed 3D scapular reconstructions to calculate deviation from the pre-surgical plan in version and inclination angles, dot product angle, and guide pin entry and exit points. Student's t tests were performed to detect differences between pin placements for the two groups.Background
Methods
Kinematics analyses of the spine have been recognized as an effective method for functional analysis of the spine. CT is suitable for obtaining bony geometry of the vertebrae but radiation is a clinical concern. MRI is noninvasive but it is difficult to detect bone edges especially at endplates and processes where soft tissues attach. Kinematics analyses require tracking of solid bodies; therefore, bony geometry is not always necessary for kinematics analysis of the spine. This study aimed to develop a reliable and robust method for kinematics analysis of the spine using an innovative MRI-based 3D bone-marrow model. This IRB-approved study recruited 17 patients undergoing lumbar decompression surgery to treat a single-level symptomatic herniation as part of a clinical trial for a new dynamic stabilization device. T1 & T2 sagittal MRI scans were acquired as part of the pre-operative evaluation in three positions: supine and with the shoulders rotated 45° to the left and right to induce torsion of the lumbar spine. 3D bone-marrow models of L5 and S1 at the neutral and rotated positions were created by selecting a threshold level of the bone-marrow intensity at bone-marrow/bone interface. Validated 3D-3D registration techniques were used to track movements of L5 and S1. Segmental movements at L5/S1 during torsion were calculated.Introduction
Materials and Methods
As a consequence from cervical arthroplasty, spine structural stiffness, loading and kinematics are changed, resulting in issues like adjacent segment degeneration and altered range of motion. However, complex anatomical structures and lack of adequate precision to study the facet joint (FJ) segmental motion in 3D have prevented proper quantitative analyses. In the current study, we investigate the innovative use of a local coordinate system on the surface of the superior articular process of the caudal vertebral body in order to analyze FJ segmental motion using CT-based 3D vertebral models in flexion/extension. CT images were obtained from six patients (2F/4M, mean age: 53 y.o.) with cervical degenerative disc disease in neutral, flexion and extension positions. CT data was used to create subject-specific surface mesh models of each vertebral body. From these, mean normal vectors were calculated for all FJ surfaces and posterior walls from C3/4 down to C6/7 (Fig. 1). The global coordinate system (x, y, z) corresponds to the CT scanner. Within this system, a new local coordinate system (u, v, w) was set on the centroid of each FJ surface (Fig. 1), where the u-, v-, and w- axes correspond to the INTRODUCTION:
METHODS:
Anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) is considered a standard surgical treatment to degenerative discogenic diseases. Lately, the question arises whether or not ACDF significantly influences the progression of adjacent disc degeneration (ADD). The etiology of ADD is obscure and it has not been fully understood whether ADD is a consequence of fusion or it represents the aging pathway of the degenerative cervical process, thus making it a controversial topic [1-3]. There have been several discussions about the possibility of ACDF altering biomechanical conditions at adjacent segments, therefore resulting in increased load and excessive motion [3,4]. The purpose of this study was to compare the cervical segmental motion pre- and post-ACDF using novel 3D analytical techniques. Nine patients (2F/7M, mean age: 54.1 years, range 36–76 y.o.) underwent ACDF due to symptomatic cervical degenerative discogenic disease. One-level ACDF was performed in 4 patients, whereas 2-level ACDF was done in five, using cylindrical titanium porous cage implants. Pre- and post (postoperative periods ranged from 11-months, 25 days to 12-months, 22 days, mean postoperative period: 12.09 months) surgery, dynamic-CT examinations were conducted in neutral, flexion and extension positions. Subject-based 3D CT models were created for segmental motion analysis (Fig. 1). Six-degrees-of-freedom 3D segmental movements were analyzed using a validated Volume-Merge methods (accuracy: 0.1 mm in translation, 0.2°in rotation) [5]. The segmental translation was evaluated by the segmental translations of gravity centers of endplates (Fig. 2). Disc-height distribution was measured using a custom-written Visual C++ routine implementing a lease-distance calculation algorithm. The mean translation distance was calculated for the each adjacent level (Fig. 2). Differences of segmental motions and mean disc height between pre- and post-surgery at each level were compared by the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results were presented mean±SEM.Introduction
Methods
We used a canine intercalary bone defect model to determine the effects of recombinant human osteogenic protein 1 (rhOP-1) on allograft incorporation. The allograft was treated with an implant made up of rhOP-1 and type I collagen or with type I collagen alone. Radiographic analysis showed an increased volume of periosteal callus in both test groups compared with the control group at weeks 4, 6, 8 and 10. Mechanical testing after 12 weeks revealed increased maximal torque and stiffness in the rhOP-1 treated groups compared with the control group. These results indicate a benefit from the use of an rhOP-1 implant in the healing of bone allografts. The effect was independent of the position of the implant. There may be a beneficial clinical application for this treatment.
Damage to articular cartilage is a common injury, for which there is no effective treatment. Our aims were to investigate the temporal sequence of the repair of articular cartilage and to define a critical-size defect. Full-thickness defects were made in adult male New Zealand white rabbits. The diameter (1 to 4 mm) of the defects was varied in order to determine the effect that the size and depth of the defect had on its healing. The defects were made in the femoral groove of the knee with one defect per knee and eight knees per group. The tissues were fixed in formalin at days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, 84 and 126 after operation and the sections stained with Toluidine Blue. These were then examined and evaluated for several parameters including the degree of metachromasia and the amount of subchondral bone which had reformed in the defect. The defects had a characteristic pattern of healing which differed at different days and for different sizes of defect. Specifically, the defects of 1 mm first peaked in terms of metachromasia at day 21, those of 2 mm at day 28, followed by defects of 3 mm and 4 mm. The healing of the subchondral bone was slowest in defects of 1 mm.
