August 6, 2015 — 4WEB Medical, provider of 3-D printed orthopedic implants, announced its first Australian patient-specific implant surgery. Supported by 4WEB's Australian partner, LifeHealthcare, the 4WEB patient-specific segmental bone defect procedure was completed the week of July 20 in Brisbane, Australia.
"The ability to customize the truss implant to match the unique anatomy of an individual patient is a significant advancement in orthopedics. Current porous metal technologies rely on bone attachment which has shown some drawbacks over time. The open architecture truss implant technology provides a robust scaffolding for structural support while allowing for osseous incorporation," said Matt Muscio, COO, LifeHealthcare.
4WEB Medical utilizes additive manufacturing to produce the patient-specific truss implants. The design and fabrication process includes surgeon participation in a live Web-based planning meeting with 4WEB engineers to discuss the current patient condition and proposed surgical plan. Using 3-D software reconstructions of the patient's anatomy acquired from a computed tomography (CT) scan, the surgeon is able to plan bone resections. The 4WEB engineers then design a custom truss implant to fill the void left by the resection. Following surgeon design approval, the patient-specific device is 3-D printed and implanted with anatomical precision.
For more information: www.4webmedical.com