A Colorado Springs surgeon, Ronald Royce, M.D., working with Front Range Orthopaedics on Briargate Parkway, is one of the first in the nation to offer 3-D printed knee implants to his patients. As described by Stephanie Earls, writing for The Gazette, Royce likens selecting a prosthetic to buying a pair of shoes.
She quoted Royce saying, “You go in and have your foot measured and they say, ‘Well, it’s between a size 6 and a size 7, ‘ and they bring a shoe out. Sometimes you get a good fit, but sometimes you don’t get a good fit and it just feels wrong on your foot.”
Royce uses computer mapping software to create a digital model of his patient’s knee. 3-D printing makes a precise wax model of the knee and it is this wax model that is used to create the prosthetic. At the same time Royce has a custom jig made that will guide him in positioning the implant during the surgery.
Royce told Earls, “With the old knees, there was no anatomic fit, just sizes. Just measure and hope you’ll get a good fit. This is custom. That quality is what makes this knee so exciting.” Royce performed six surgeries using the 3-D printed implants in the first week of November, according to Earls.
