HUANG Xuan,LI Fengning,ZHANG Fan.An individualized navigation template based on the three-dimensional printing technique: application to the occipital condyle screw insertion[J].Chinese Journal of Spine and Spinal Cord,2014,(5):440-446.
An individualized navigation template based on the three-dimensional printing technique: application to the occipital condyle screw insertion
Received:February 28, 2014  Revised:April 02, 2014
English Keywords:Three-dimensional printing  Occipital condyle screw  Navigation templates  Fused deposition modeling  Polylactic acid
Fund:国家自然科学基金资助项目(81372012);长海医院“1255”学科建设计划资助项目(CH125540200,CH125520900)
Author NameAffiliation
HUANG Xuan Department of Orthopedics, Changhai Hospital, 200433, Shanghai, China 
LI Fengning 第二军医大学长海医院骨科 200434 上海市 
ZHANG Fan 第二军医大学长海医院骨科 200435 上海市 
王 琨  
陈 智  
阳青松  
党瑞山  
沈洪兴  
李 明  
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English Abstract:
  【Abstract】 Objectives: To investigate the feasibility of establishing an individualized navigation template for occipital condyle screws insertion by using the three-dimensional printing technique, and to evaluate the accuracy and safety of template-assisted condyle screw insertion. Methods: Twenty adult occipitocervical specimens were selected to take a CT-scan. After importing original Dicom data into the Mimics software, 3D-models of the craniocervical junction were created, which were used to evaluate anatomic structures related to condyle screws and define the parameters of screw placement. The screw path was determined through the guidance of canal and the cavity model of occipital bone structure, which were assembled together to generate the navigation template with a well-established screw path based on the three-dimensional printing forming technique. Anatomy study and CT-scan were taken to access the position of the screws after the insertion of bilateral condyle screws on cadaveric specimens and 3D-models. Results: Significant individual variation of the anatomical structure related to the occipital condyle screw was identified. The axial medial angle, sagittal cranial angle and the distance between entry point and atlantooccipital joint were 30.2°±6.3°, 8.1°±2.6° and 3.69±0.42mm, respectively. Forty condyle screws were implanted assisted by 20 individualized navigation templates with an average time of 60.1±9.3s. Anatomy study and CT-scan showed no intrusion of the vertebral artery, hypoglossal canal, condylar emissary canal or atlantooccipital joint. All screws were completely contained within the condyle. Conclusions: The study proves the feasibility of using the Mimics software for establishing 3D-models of the occipital condyle and related anatomy structures. The individualized navigation template, designed and generated by the three-dimensional printing technique based on established screw path parameters, is proved to be a feasible, precise and low-cost method, which can be a new alternative to conventional technique for screw placement.
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