Abstract:

Objective To investigate the application effect of 3D printing artificial vertebral body in spinal stability reconstruction after total resection of spinal metastases. Methods The data on the patients with spinal metastatic tumor who had received total mass resection and reconstruction of spinal stability in our department from May 2016 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The study group was reconstructed with 3D printing artificial materials，while the control group was reconstructed with titanium mesh. The surgical duration，blood loss，postop⁃ erative pain relief and neurological function recovery，postoperative complications，vertebral fusion，spinal stability， and vertebral subsidence were compared between the two groups. Results 48 patients were followed up for 10 to 45 months（average 20.4 months）. The surgical duration was shorter and intraoperative blood loss was less in the study group than in the control group（P < 0.05）；There were no significant differences in the degree of pain relief and the incidence of complications between the two groups. The JOA score and improvement rate did not differ significantly between the two groups on postoperative week one，but they were higher in the study group than in the control group in postoperative months 3 and 6 and the last follow⁃up（P < 0.05）. There was a significant difference in fusion of vertebral body with reconstruction materials between the two groups（P < 0.05）. In 3 and 6 months after surgery and the last follow⁃up，the reduction degree of fusion stage height（HAB and HPB）and Cobb angle was less in the study group than in the control group，and the difference was statistically significant（P < 0.05）. Conclusions Application of 3D printing artificial vertebral body in reconstruction of bone defect after spinal metastases resection can significantly reduce surgical duration and intraoperative blood loss，and this procedure， as compared with titanium mesh reconstruction，can lower the sedimentation velocity，obtain better spinal stability and promote the recovery of neurological function.

Key words: 3D printing,  , artificial vertebral body,  , spinal metastases