Project Details
Early Career
Status: Funded - Closed
Printhotics - Deep learning to optimize and personalize 3D printed pediatric medical devices
Summary
BACKGROUND: Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are a highly effective non-surgical treatment for children with walking difficulties in many conditions, such as cerebral palsy (1 in 500 births), muscular dystrophy (1 in 3000 births) and peripheral neuropathy (1 in 2500 births). Traditionally, AFOs are handmade by vacuum forming polypropylene plastic over a plaster of Paris cast, relying on manual labor with unacceptably long lead times. GAP: To bring these devices to growing children faster, we are exploring the use of 3D scanning and 3D printing to produce AFOs that function more effectively and that are designed to improve compliance. This project aims to digitize the craftsmanship of manual plaster modification involved in the production of AFOs using 3D scanning. HYPOTHESIS: I hypothesize that the plaster additions made during the AFO fabrication process are predictable and occur primarily at key regions of the foot and ankle. METHODS: Pre- and post-modified plaster casts of children’s lower limbs (n=50; aged 1-18) from a single orthotist were 3D scanned and analyzed. RESULTS: When comparing the normal distances between the pre- and post modified casts, the mean difference ranges from 1.37 – 3.12 mm. When considering only the total positive direction (i.e. plaster additions), differences ranged from 25.31 – 821.28 m. Total negative differences (i.e. plaster subtractions) ranged from 1.83 – 71.66 m. When comparing these values with participants characteristics (age, height, AFO type and pathology), the only strong correlation was between participant height and plaster additions (rs = 0.84, p<0.05). We have demonstrated a reliable method to map and compare between pre- and post-modified casts used to fabricate children’s AFOs. IMPACT: The results from this study will close the loop between 3D scanning patients and 3D printing AFOs, enabling us to bring these critical medical devices to the children that need them most.
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