Application of digital templates to guide total alloplastic joint replacement surgery with biomet standard replacement system.

PURPOSE: To design and manufacture digital templates to guide Biomet total alloplastic joint replacement surgery (Biomet, Warsaw, IN) and evaluate the clinical efficacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six patients who underwent total alloplastic joint replacement surgery from November 2013 to March 2014 were included in this study. Before surgery, the Biomet standard prostheses were scanned and imported into the ProPlan CMF 1.4 software (Materialise NV, Leuven, Belgium) for virtual positioning and osteotomy planning. Digital templates were then designed to guide intraoperative bone trimming and prosthesis placement. A postoperative computed tomography scan was taken and used to measure how well the postsurgical images corresponded to the images generated in the preoperative plan. RESULTS: The digital templates were smoothly positioned and easily adapted, and they accurately guided bone trimming and prosthesis implantation. In addition, vital anatomic structures such as the skull base and inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle were not injured during the procedures. The result of the merged postoperative and preoperative computed tomography scans showed that the position of the prostheses corresponded quite accurately to the preoperative design, with an error of 1.139+/-0.183 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Digital templates can accurately guide the bone trimming required for placement of Biomet total alloplastic joints. Likewise, these templates help place the prostheses in the desired locations, enhance stability, and avoid damage to the skull base and inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle.