3D With the development of science and technology, 3D printing technology has entered many industries, and its application in the medical field has also received wide attention. With the strong advocacy and support of Professor Wei Xiaochun, director of the Shanxi Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission and a leading figure in the orthopedic field, Professor Xiang Chuan of the Department of Orthopedics at the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University applied 3D printing technology to artificial knee replacement and achieved good surgical results, which was the first time 3D printing technology was applied to artificial knee replacement in our province. Printing What is 3D printing 3D printing is a technology that uses a digital model file as the basis for constructing an object by printing layer by layer using an adhesive material such as powdered metal or plastic. It enables the rapid and precise preparation of personalized medical materials suitable for different patients according to their needs, as well as the precise control of the microstructure of the material. Preoperative preparation Preoperatively, the patient’s lower extremity is scanned by CT, the acquired data is imported into the relevant software, and the data is analyzed on the computer to determine the parameters related to the femur and tibia and the force lines of the affected extremity before the 3D reconstruction. Then the procedure of total knee arthroplasty was simulated to determine the osteotomy plane of the femur and tibia. Finally, the guide plate for the osteotomy was designed and 3D printed using medical materials to obtain the surgical guide plate. It is important to emphasize that the precise design of the surgical guide is an important part of the success of the procedure and therefore the most critical part of the preoperative preparation. This step is similar to a tailor using a ruler to “measure” the client. Intraoperative operation The intraoperative operation simplifies the previous complex surgical steps, the surgeon only needs to attach the osteotomy guide to the surface of the joint and then position the osteotomy, the operation is simple and more accurate than the traditional method, avoiding human interference. This step is similar to a tailor’s “tailoring” process for a customer. Advantages over traditional surgery First, the key to successful knee replacement surgery is to restore normal force lines to the patient’s lower extremity through intraoperative osteotomy. Traditional knee replacements rely on the surgeon’s visual judgment for intraoperative osteotomy, which is prone to bias and error. The 3D printing technology is based on the patient’s preoperative CT data, and the computer accurately measures and calculates the number of degrees of lower extremity force lines that need to be repaired, as well as the number of bones to be amputated in each part of the knee, which is much more accurate than the surgeon’s experience, and is the best personalized treatment plan for each patient. Secondly, traditional knee replacement surgery requires a femoral osteotomy, which destroys the medullary cavity and leads to complications such as fat embolism and medically induced fractures, as well as significantly increasing post-operative bleeding and the likelihood of post-operative infection. 3D printing technology, on the other hand, does not require marrow opening of the femur, thus significantly reducing the occurrence of these complications. Again, 3D printing technology allows the surgeon to operate with a clear mind, reducing the number of surgical steps, significantly shortening the operating time, and making the surgery safer. Because of these unparalleled advantages, 3D printing technology for artificial knee replacement surgery will bring real benefits to patients and has a broad application prospect.