The effect of digital orthopedic 3D printing technology on the surgical treatment of intertrochanteric fractures of the femur: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

The effect of preoperative use of 3D printing technology on the overall outcome of surgical treatment of patients with intertrochanteric femoral fracture is unclear. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the effect of 3D printing technology on the surgical treatment of patients with intertrochanteric femoral fractures.

METHODS

This study used a meta-analysis design. We searched PubMed, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, Embase, and the Web of Science for randomized controlled trials and cohort studies up to April 26, 2023. Mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were used to assess continuous variables.

RESULTS

A total of 11 studies involving 660 participants were included in this meta-analysis.The results showed that 3D printing improved operation time (MD = -16.18, 95% CI = -20.64 to -11.73, P < .00001), intraoperative blood loss (MD = -39.54, 95% CI = -52.10 to -26.98, P < .00001), postoperative drainage volume (MD = -12.36, 95% CI = -14.27 to -10.45, P < .00001), length of hospital stay (MD = -0.61, 95% CI = -1.07 to -0.14, P = .01), intraoperative fluoroscopy (MD = -4.29, 95% CI = -6.65 to -1.94, P = .0004), one-time nail placement success rate (MD = 7.12, 95% CI = 2.87-17.70, P < .0001), fracture healing time (MD = -2.91, 95% CI = -5.49 to -0.34, P = .03), hip function score (MD = 1.60, 95% CI = 0.29-2.92, P = .02).

CONCLUSION

As an important technical tool in the construction of digital orthopedics, the use of 3D printing technology can effectively improve the operation time, intraoperative bleeding loss, postoperative drainage volume, length of hospital stay, intraoperative fluoroscopy, one-time nail placement success rate, fracture healing time, and hip function score.