3D-printing of porous structures for reproduction of a femoral bone

Abstract

Background: 3D-printing has shown potential in several medical advances because of its ability to create patient-specific surgical models and instruments. In fact, this technology makes it possible to acquire and study physical models that accurately reproduce patient-specific anatomy. The challenge is to apply 3D-printing to reproduce the porous structure of a bone tissue, consisting of compact bone, spongy bone and bone marrow. Methods: An interesting approach is presented here for reproducing the structure of a bone tissue of a femur by 3D-printing porous structure. Through the process of CT segmentation, the distribution of bone density was analysed. In 3D-printing, the bone density was compared with the density of infill. Results: The zone of compact bone, the zone of spongy bone and the zone of bone marrow can be recognized in the 3D printed model by a porous density additive manufacturing method. Conclusions: The application of 3D-printing to reproduce a porous structure, such as that of a bone, makes it possible to obtain physical anatomical models that likely represent the internal structure of a bone tissue. This process is low cost and easily reproduced.