A new osteotomy for the prevention of prominent lateral condyle after cubitus varus correctional surgery-made possible by a 3D printed patient specific osteotomy guide: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Skeletal deformity correction is a procedure of high aesthetic and functional demand. Therefore, meticulous surgical planning has always been mandatory. However, it is known that during the surgery things may often get slippery, leaving the surgeon no chance but improvisation. Because of this shortcoming it is not a rare occasion to find unhappy patients that have undergone deformity correction surgery. PRESENTATION OF CASE: Our patient was an eighteen-year-old male who had 40° cubitus varus deformity (with 20° flexion and extension deficits) due to a right humerus supracondylar fracture, obtained eight years ago. He had two prior surgeries at the year of injury. Considering the severity of the deformity we decided to plan the surgery with 3D software, obtain 3D printed models (to further help with surgical fixation options) and finally, use a custom 3D printed resection guide to apply the plan during the surgery. DISCUSSION: Traditional methods of skeletal deformity correction lack the preoperative precision and tools to perform the plan during the surgery. Deformity correction with 3D images and 3D printed patient specific instruments do help the surgeon to accomplish correct deformities with results identical to surgical plan. CONCLUSION: Superior precision of the 3D planning and very easy utilization of the patient specific 3D printed instruments during the skeletal deformity surgery provides unparalleled and foreseeable results. This methodology is prone to be gold standard for deformity surgery in the near future.