Three-dimensional printed instruments used in a Septoplasty: a new paradigm in surgery.

Abstract

Objective: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been rapidly adopted by different surgical disciplines. It has shown itself to have improved outcomes in education, pre-operative planning, and reconstruction. However, using 3D printing to create surgical instruments is a niche within the literature that has not yet been fully explored. The authors present a study in which it is hypothesized that 3D printing surgical instruments can be utilized successfully within ENT surgery.

Methods: As one of the most common ENT operations worldwide, a septoplasty was chosen as the procedure to provide proof of concept. For the septoplasty, five instruments were printed: a scalpel handle, needle holders, toothed forceps, a Cottle/Freer elevator, and a Killian's speculum. The entire set took 224 minutes on average to print, weighed 36 g, and only used approximately 86 pence ($1.20 USD) worth of polylactic acid plastic to create.

Results: All steps in performing a septoplasty on a human cadaver with the 3D printed tools were possible and were undertaken successfully. This yielded a similar outcome to using stainless steel with the added benefit of there being a large reduction in cost and the ability for rapid customization according to the surgeon's preferences.

Conclusion: As technology and mainstream interest in 3D printing develops, the availability of more precise Computer-Aided Design software will allow for more complex designs of tools to be created. Currently, 3D printing has been shown to be a promising method from which future surgical tools can be fashioned to meet the complex, dynamic demands of surgery.