Kathryn E Smith, Kenneth M Dupont, David L Safranski, Jeremy Blair, Dawn Buratti, Vladimir Zeetser, Ryan Callahan, Jason Lin, Ken Gall
Three-dimensional (3-D) printing offers many potential advantages in designing and manufacturing plating systems for foot and ankle procedures that involve small, geometrically complex bony anatomy. Here, we describe the design and clinical use of a Ti-6Al-4V ELI bone plate (FastForward™ Bone Tether Plate, MedShape, Inc., Atlanta, GA) manufactured through 3-D printing processes. The plate protects the second metatarsal when tethering suture tape between the first and second metatarsals and is a part of a new procedure that corrects hallux valgus (bunion) deformities without relying on doing an osteotomy or fusion procedure...
September 2016: Techniques in Orthopaedics: TIO