REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Translational Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1560909
This article is part of the Research Topic25 Years of 21st Century MedicineView all 5 articles
Three-Dimensional Printing in Modern Orthopedic Trauma Surgery: A Comprehensive Analysis of Technical Evolution and Clinical Translation
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- 3West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a transformative technology in orthopedic trauma surgery, offering unprecedented possibilities for personalized surgical solutions. Despite its increasing adoption, there remains a lack of comprehensive reviews systematically evaluating its technical considerations and evidence-based outcomes across different anatomical regions. Through systematic review of literature from major databases and analysis of clinical evidence, this comprehensive review examines the current state of advanced 3D printing technologies in orthopedic trauma. We analyze four major additive manufacturing methodologies: vat photopolymerization for surgical guides, material extrusion for anatomical models, powder bed fusion for implants, and emerging bioprinting approaches. The integration of these technologies has substantially improved surgical outcomes through three primary approaches: preoperative planning with anatomical modeling, intraoperative guidance using custom surgical guides, and patient-specific implant solutions.Systematic analysis demonstrates significant improvements in surgical precision, operative efficiency, and anatomical restoration across various fracture patterns. While challenges in manufacturing protocols, quality control standards, and regulatory frameworks persist, ongoing innovations in materials science, digital workflow optimization, and clinical validation continue to expand the applications. This review provides a systematic framework integrating technical principles and clinical applications of 3D printing in orthopedic trauma surgery, offering practical guidelines while highlighting future research directions.
Keywords: ：Three-dimensional printing, Orthopedic trauma, surgical planning, patient-specific implants, clinical outcomes
Received: 15 Jan 2025; Accepted: 13 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Long, Tan and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiaoyan Liu, School of Nursing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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