This study verified the safety and the accuracy of the individualized 3D printing screw insertion templates in the cervical spine as a kind of intraoperative screw navigation. This individualized 3D printing screw insertion template was user-friendly, moderate cost, and enabled a radiation-free cervical screw insertion.

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Methods:A 63-year-old woman with atrial fibrillation presented clinical symptoms and signs of acute ischemia in the right lower extremity on the 17th postoperative day after revision total hip arthroplasty of the left hip for aseptic loosening of femoral component. Aspirin was discontinued 7 days before surgery. Both computed tomography angiography and digital subtraction angiography demonstrated complete occlusion of the right common iliac artery. An emergency catheter-directed thrombolysis with urokinase combined with balloon angioplasty was performed to obtain complete patency of the right common iliac artery.Results:The patient received anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy postoperatively and was fine at the 2-year follow-up.Conclusions:This case demonstrated that catheter-directed thrombolysis combined with balloon angioplasty could be an efficacious, minimally invasive approach for the treatment of acute embolic occlusion of the common iliac artery. Preoperative anticoagulation for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty with long-term use of aspirin for atrial fibrillation needs further investigation.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether the gap-balancing technique with patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) and a new balancing device in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can improve knee function to a greater extent than can the measured resection technique. Materials and methods Data from 150 patients who underwent TKA from August 2014 to June 2016 were studied retrospectively. The gap-balancing technique assisted by PSI and the new balancing device was used in 80 patients (82 knees), and the measured resection technique was used in 70 patients (70 knees). The surgical, imaging, and knee function data were compared. Results The gap-balancing technique assisted by PSI and the new balancing device was found to be feasible in all operated knees and reliable. In total, 150 patients (152 knees) of ages ranging from 52 to 78 years (mean 67 years) underwent TKA during the study period. The follow-up period ranged from 35 to 52 months (mean 45 months). Only one patient, who was included in the gap-balancing group, underwent a revision surgery at 2 years postoperatively due to infection. There were no differences in the incidence of anterior knee pain between the two groups. The mean flexion angle, KSS scores, and VAS scores did not significantly differ between the measured resection group and gap-balancing group at 12 weeks or 36 weeks postoperatively. The average joint line displacement was 1.3 ± 1.1 mm (range 0–3) proximally in the GB (gap-balancing) group and 1.2 ± 1.4 mm in the MR (measured-resection) group. No outliers >5 mm in either group were recorded. The mean leg axis deviation from the neutral mechanical axis was 1.8°±1.5° varus (range 0°–3°varus) versus the neutral mechanical axis in the GB group and 1.4°±1.2°(range 0°–3°)in the MR group. No outliers with >3° deviation in either group were recorded. Conclusions The gap-balancing technique performed with the new balancing device and PSI can yield accurate femoral component alignment as well as outcomes similar to those of measured resection at 3 years. The new balancing device can be taken into consideration by surgeons who prefer performing the gap-balancing technique with PSI.