Preoperative Placement of Rigid Markers for the Treatment of Tibial Fractures Using 3D Printed External Repositioning Model Combined With External Fixator

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of preoperative placement of a rigid marker 3D printed external repositioning model combined with an external fixation frame in patients with tibial fractures. Methods: Fifty-five patients with tibial fractures treated from June 2019 to August 2020 were used as study subjects. Patients were divided into a control group and an observation group according to the order of their admission to the hospital. Patients in the control group were treated with conventional surgery, and patients in the observation group were treated with preoperative placement of rigid markers 3D printed external repositioning models combined with external fixators. The treatment results of the two groups were compared. Results: Patients in the observation group had significantly shorter operative time, hospital stay and fracture healing time than patients in the control group, and intraoperative bleeding was significantly less than that in the control group (P<0.05). The pain level decreased in both groups as the time lengthened after surgery. At the same time point, the degree of pain in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was 6.66% in the observation group and 36% in the control group, and the incidence of postoperative complications was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). The excellent rate of fracture healing was 60% in the observation group and 86.67% in the control group, and the difference in the excellent rate of fracture healing between the two groups was significant (P<0.05). Patients in both groups gradually recovered their knee and ankle functions after surgery with the extension of time. At the same time point, the HSS and Maryland scores of patients in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: ：By using preoperative placement of rigid markers 3D printed external repositioning model combined with external fixator treatment. No further incision or fluoroscopic closed reduction is required. This reduces the patient's pain and improves the patient's fracture healing results.