Surgical treatment of intra-articular distal radius fractures with the assistance of three-dimensional printing technique

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of surgical treatment of intra-articular distal radius fractures (DRFs) with the assistance of three-dimensional (3D) printing technique. Methods: Patients with intra-articular DRFs in our hospital from February 2017 to November 2018 were enrolled in this study, and were randomly assigned to 2 parallel groups to receive surgical treatment with the assistance of 3D printing technique or not. For patients in the 3D printing group, the surgical procedure was simulated with 3D physical model before surgery. Volar plate and K-wire fixation were performed in all patients. Patients in the 2 groups were compared in terms of intraoperative indexes and postoperative function. Results: A total of 32 patients were included in our study. During surgery, mean operation time in the 3D model group was significantly lower than that in the routine group (P < .001). Besides, significantly less blood was lost in the 3D model group than that in the routine group (P < .001). Furthermore, the 3D model group had a significantly less times of intraoperative fluoroscopy than that in the routine group (P = .002). However, the 3D model group showed no significant difference in visual analog scale (VAS) score, the disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) score, or active wrist range of motion (ROM) in comparison with the routine group (P > .05). Conclusion: With the assistance of 3D printing technique, the operation time, amount of intraoperative bleeding, and times of intraoperative fluoroscopy can be reduced during the surgical treatment of intra-articular DRFs with volar plating and K-wire fixation. This technique is safe and effective, and is worth spreading in other orthopedic surgeries.