A novel approach using 3-D printing in the Irish National Centre for pelvic and acetabular surgery

Background Complex pelvic fractures present the orthopaedic surgeon with many challenges. 3-D printed models may provide assistance in pre-operative planning, may lead to improvements in intra-operative (i) decision making and (ii) efficiencies (time reduction, blood loss reduction, screening reduction) and may result in improvements in post-operative outcomes (fracture reduction & quality of life). The models also provide hands-on opportunities for orthopaedic trainees and patients. This may result in improvements in (i) education/training regarding the management of pelvic and acetabular fractures for orthopaedic trainees and (ii) improvements in patient consenting and overall patient satisfaction.