ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Orthopedic Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1612958
This article is part of the Research TopicDigitalisation and AI in Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation 4.0 - Volume IIView all articles
Application of mirror reconstruction and 3D printing technology in the treatment of Sanders type IV calcaneal fractures
Provisionally accepted
- Changsha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
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Objective: To evaluate an integrated mirror reconstruction and 3D printing workflow for Sanders type IV calcaneal fractures—a severe subtype lacking evidence-based solutions. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 20 patients (April 2021–July 2023). Operative time, blood loss, fracture healing, complications, radiological parameters (calcaneal width/height, Böhler/Gissane angles), AOFAS, and VAS scores were assessed. Results: All fractures healed (mean 11.55±0.211 weeks). Operative time averaged 59.55±1.52 minutes; blood loss 41.00±1.16 ml. Radiological parameters significantly improved (*p*<0.05). AOFAS: 88.15±2.04 (90% excellent/good); VAS: 0.95±0.22. Complications: sural nerve injury (*n*=2), subtalar stiffness (*n*=2), traumatic arthritis (*n*=2). Conclusion: This approach enables precise reduction with excellent short-term outcomes, though long-term validation requires RCTs.
Keywords: 3D printing, Calcaneus, Fracture, Mirror reconstruction, Fracture Fixation
Received: 16 Apr 2025; Accepted: 13 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liao, deng and you. 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: Xiong Liao, Changsha Central Hospital, Changsha, China
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