Pediatric Forearm Deformity: Use of 3D Modeling to Guide Deformity Correction

Pediatric forearm deformity correction is one of many fundamental skills of practicing pediatric orthopedist. The etiology of forearm deformity can vary from congenital to traumatic. When residual posttraumatic forearm angulation exceeds 20 degrees, and rotational deformity is>30 degrees, an osteotomy may be indicated. Surgeons tasked with preoperative planning are limited by the 2-dimensional (2D) nature of radiographs. It becomes increasingly beneficial to have 3D information when surgical correction is mandated in multiple areas or critical locations such as the distal radioulnar joint or radial head. The purpose of this article is to provide a description of preoperative planning using 3D modeling to create patient-specific guides for intraoperative use to correct pediatric forearm deformity. Studies and cases utilizing 3D modeling have shown improvement in forearm rotation, distal radioulnar joint and/or radial head stability following correction of forearm deformity. The use of 3D modeling to create patient-specific guides for intraoperative use has been shown to provide good short-term efficacy but is considered off-label use by the Food and Drug Administration.
Source: Techniques in Orthopaedics - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Symposium Source Type: research