Customizing knee implants using 3D printing.
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According to the ConforMIS,” this is a company headquartered in Bedford Massachusetts that designs and manufactures customized knee implants for patients A CT scan of a patient’s knee is taken and a 3D model of the patient’s knee is created. Using the 3D model, designs of implants customized to the patient are created. 3D printing technology is used to manufacture implants that are specific to that patient. As a result, knee implants that are customized for a specific patient are generated.
Traditional knee replacement surgery is based on off-the-shelf implants. A surgeon makes adjustments to the implants for a patient. These adjustments may not result in a perfect fit for a patient and the implant can be either too big or too small. In contrast, customized implants generated by ConforMIS technology are made to fit the knee of each patient. Customized knee implants have been found to result in faster recovery, higher satisfaction, and improved ability to perform normal day-to-day activities.
Dr. Philipp Lang, MD, MBA is the CEO and co-founder of ConforMIS. ConforMIS owns or licenses approximately 470 patents and pending patent applications.¨