🔍 Key Findings
- The study was a prospective clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed, patient-specific reduction system for aligning diaphyseal tibial fractures stabilized using minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) in fifteen client-owned dogs.
- Virtual surgical planning (VSP) and fabrication were feasible within a clinically relevant timeframe, with a mean of 50.7 hours. Surgical efficiency improved with experience.
- Pin-guide placement was accurate, with median translational discrepancies of 2.7 mm (proximal) and 2.9 mm (distal), and angular discrepancies highest in the axial plane.
- The proximal guide was easier to apply (median Likert score: 8) than the distal guide (median: 6).
- The 3D-printed system enabled near-anatomic reduction in 87% of cases and acceptable reduction in the remaining 13%; no unacceptable reductions occurred.
- Postoperative alignment and tibial length were well-restored, with all dogs within 5° or 5 mm of contralateral measurements.
- Temporary circular fixation was occasionally used to assist reduction and improve alignment.
- Precontoured plates fit easily, with a median Likert score of 9; total surgical time was shorter than conventional MIPO at the institution.
- The study lacked a control group but builds on prior cadaveric feasibility work.
