3D Printing Aided Elbow Deformity Correction

Introduction: Fracture of lateral condyle of humerus is known for nonunion, if not treated properly in children, often leads to a cubitus valgus deformity. For the late presenting cases with deformity and restricted range of motion, surgical management is often challenging, and an appropriate preoperative planning is required. Case Report: We report a case of an un-united fracture of the lateral condyle of the humerus in an adult with a cubitus valgus deformity with early tardy ulnar nerve palsy. He was treated by corrective osteotomy with bone grafting of the nonunion and internal fixation with contoured plates. A virtual preoperative surgical planning was done using 3D printing to define the exact location and direction of the osteotomy, plate contouring and likely place of screw placement to achieve full correction of the elbow deformity. Results: There was good correction of deformity, with union of the nonunion and osteotomy, at three months follows- up. At one year, there was complete recovery of ulnar nerve palsy with excellent function of the elbow and hand. Conclusion: 3D printing is effective in treating complex orthopedic cases and deformity correction. Virtual preoperative surgical planning on the computer and on a 3D model help to study the exact site of osteotomy, plate contouring and screw placement to achieve accurate correction of the deformity. Virtual preoperative planning and 3D printing help in reducing the surgical time and help to achieve desired correction of the deformity.