Clarkson College in Omaha, Nebraska, successfully leveraged Enhatch's 3D planning portal and 3D Systems Healthcare's 3D printing capabilities to create patient-specific cutting guides for a complex surgery. The case involved surgery on a 10-year-old pediatric patient diagnosed with osteosarcoma from a proximal tibial bone lesion.
As the tumor was in proximity to the physis and proximal tibial joint, patient-specific surgery was essential as accuracy in resection and reconstruction of the diseased tibial bone was crucial.
About Clarkson College
Clarkson College based in Omaha, Nebraska, is a renowned educational institution and leading healthcare provider known for its innovative approach to patient care. It was established in 1888. Originally founded as a nursing school, it has since expanded its offerings to include a wide range of health sciences programs. Clarkson College has also partnered with Nebraska Medicine to work towards a common goal of providing high-quality health care.
“Using the Enhatch portal for the orthopedic oncology case significantly enhanced communication and data sharing between the Center of Excellence (COE) and the surgical team. This streamlined platform facilitated seamless collaboration, allowing the team to efficiently coordinate and share critical information to expedite patient-centered care.”
- Patricia Weber, Assistant Director of Radiography Medical Imaging and Advanced Technology, Clarkson College
Surgery challenges
The surgery posed several challenges, as outlined below:
- Young patient diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
- Tumor margins had to be very accurate.
- Allograft used for planning/design/surgery was an adult tibia, so alignment to the patient bone was difficult.
- As the patient was very young, the proximal angle placement of cutting guides had to be adjusted to preserve the physis and bone (as much as possible).
The Impact
Enhatch's preoperative planning portal facilitated seamless collaboration between all teams, ensuring overall efficiency and precision throughout the entire process, from 3D anatomical model generation to the final design of cutting guides. The finalized design was 3D printed at the 3D Systems facility in Littleton. At the end of this process:
- The surgery was a success and went smoothly.
- The Clarkson College clinician had good feedback on the use of the patient-specific cutting guides during surgery.
- The 10-year-old patient is recovering well and will undergo additional treatment soon.
"We are glad that the patient-specific cutting guides generated using Enhatch's preoperative planning portal and 3D Systems 3D printing capabilities helped the team at Clarkson College navigate this complex surgery. Such cases further reinforce the Enhatch team's goals of developing technology to enable precise surgical planning, help improve patient outcomes, and advance healthcare."
- Mike Phipps, President and Co-founder, Enhatch
