Case Study of a Personalized Scoliosis Brace Based on 3D Printing

We evaluated the effect of a new type of brace(primary material 3300PA)for treating scoliosis,which was produced based on 3D printing technology combined with a non-contact optical mold-taking and computer-aided design.Through the production of a brace for a 13-year-old patient with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis by a multidisciplinary team,the digital design and 3D printing of a personalized scoliosis brace were introduced.Parameters such as the Cobb angle,angle of trunk inclination,spine-coronal plane balance parameters,sagittal vertical axis(SVA),and Scoliosis Research Society-22 score(SRS-22)were measured to evaluate the treatment effect of the brace.The model-taking process of the non-contact optical scanner was successful,data were valid,and personalized scoliosis brace made by the computer-aided design and 3D printing fitted well with the patient.Before wearing,immediate in-brace,and 6 months after wearing,the Cobb angles were 29°,9°,and 14°,respectively.The offsets between the C7 vertebra plumb line(C7PL)and central sacral vertical line(CSVL)were 3.2 cm,2.2 cm,and 2.1 cm,respectively.SVAs were 3.3 cm,2.9 cm,and 0.3 cm,respectively.Apex vertebral translocations were 4.3 cm,0.3 cm,and 0.1 cm,respectively.The SRS-22 was 76 before brace application and 91 at the 6-month follow-up.The spine curve returned to normal,and the correction effect was obvious.The scoliosis brace indicates the integration between digital medicine and 3D printing technology,which has personalization and customization as advantages.The brace has good wearing comfort,invisibility,and orthopedic function,follows the psychological needs of teenagers,improves patients’compliance,and improves the correction of the deformity.