YuLin Zhen, Photography Editor

In April 2024, Lisa Lattanza performed the first fully in-house, personalized 3D orthopedic surgery at Yale using 3D-printed surgical guides and models. 

The procedure on a broken forearm was performed in collaboration with 3D Collaborative for Medical Innovation, known as 3DC, an engineering and 3D printing services program in the Yale Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. While 3D surgical procedures are not a completely novel technique, in-house programs such as 3DC are a growing field. 

“3D printed products that are designed and built in-house are not [an] obligatory reimbursement from insurance companies,” Alyssa Glennon, program director and lead engineer of 3DC, said. “In-house printed products [tend to be at] large academic research institutions, like Yale, with funding available to support an initiative like this.”

The ability to have an in-house 3D printing program has changed the speed and cost at which surgical procedures involving complex deformities are planned and performed. 

The process is fairly straightforward. A physician notifies Glennon about a procedure that may be aided with printing. Then, Glennon downloads the patient’s 3D imaging and renders it digitally. She isolates the region of interest and creates a preliminary surgical plan using computer-aided design. Afterward, Glennon reviews the surgical plan with the physician, who tailors it to better meet the patient’s needs. 

“We can do these cases at a cost-saving to the patient and the hospital because we’re more efficient and economical,” Lattanza told the News. “It broadens our ability to use this technology for any patient, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance type.”

The procedure denotes a wider trend at the university to incorporate 3D technologies in medical procedures. 

At the undergraduate level, classes are taught around 3D printing and bioprinting, such as MENG 287 “Intermediate Mechanical Design” and MENG 400 “Computer-Aided Engineering.” 

Sein Lee ’24, who graduated as a biomedical engineering major, told the News that Yale is becoming a “unique and dynamic environment” for undergraduate students to explore 3D printing and its medical applications.

“I [have] personally benefited through the interdisciplinary research opportunities in departments like the Biomedical Engineering Department, centers like the Yale Center for Engineering Innovation & Design, known as CEID, and the many undergraduate engineering clubs,” Lee said.

According to Lattanza, 3D printing still has its limitations, such as the inability to predict soft tissue reaction to bone movements. According to Glennon, an extensive vetting process ensures proper testing of the use of 3D in treatment. 

The outlook of 3D printing is promising. Both Glennon and Lattanza see a future where augmented reality can be used in place of plastic guides and jigs in the operating room.

For now, having an in-house 3D printing program at Yale remains a highly advantageous program, according to Glennon and Lattanza.

“The 3D printing ability to really personalize treatment plans and optimize them on individual patients is just extremely impactful,” Glennon said. “If I were ever to be a patient, knowing that there’s an option to be tailored specifically to me and my size and my problems and the things I want to do, that is very meaningful.” 

Lattanza performed the world’s first elbow transplant in 2016.