Alternatives to amputation

Thanks to the use of UK developed CAD software, South African-based ISIQU Orthopaedics has been able to make custom-made bone and joint implants for patients with tumours and major bone loss. In most cases, the only alternative to the implants would be amputation of the affected limb.

The ISIQU process begins with information from the patient, which comes either in x-ray format, or as an MRI or 3D CT scan.  If it is in the first two formats, the image is scanned and digitised, and the basic dimensions obtained to help in the design decisions.

If it is in CT scan format, it is first converted to an STL file format, which then is imported into Delcam’s CopyCAD reverse engineering software. In this software, the STL file is converted into surfaces to produce a digital model of the skeletal part that will be replaced with the implant. The surfaces produced by CopyCAD, or the dimensions from x-ray or MRI scans, are then imported into Delcam’s PowerSHAPE CAD software in which the design of the implant is completed.