On September 30, 2021, Prof. Zhou Zongke's team in the Department of Orthopaedics of West China Hospital successfully implanted a 3D printed zoned bone trabecular biological prosthetic knee joint for a patient with knee osteoarthritis. This technology is the first of its kind according to current records in the world . On October 19, the patient resumed normal walking and the knee function was satisfactory.
The 68 year old woman has suffered from knee pain for many years. In the past two years, her symptoms have worsened and affected her quality of life substantially. The patient was diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis and received a number of treatments. However, the results were not satisfactory.
In September this year, West China Hospital officially started the clinical research project of biological knee arthroplasty. Compared with traditional bone cement prosthesis arthroplasty, this project can not only obtain better curative effect, but also reduce the cost for patients. The Peking University Third Hospital, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tianjin Hospital and other well-known triple A hospitals in China also participated in the project.
After hearing the news, the patient immediately went to sign up for the clinical research at West China hospital. On the afternoon of September 30, Zhou Zongke's team successfully performed a left knee arthroplasty for the patient. When a biological prosthetic knee was implanted, the prosthesis did not need bone cement to fix it, and the operation took significantly less time. The postoperative X-ray film showed that the prosthesis is perfectly matched with the bone, well fixed and in normal position.
Before the surgery After the surgery
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative disease, and has a high incidence rate among the middle-aged and the elderly. With the economic development and population aging, the demand for knee arthroplasty is increasing. The 3D printed knee prosthesis is the solution to the high demand.
Being the first of its kind in the world, this case of 3D printed bone trabecular knee prosthesis means that Chinese hospitals and enterprises have developed safer and more effective products suitable for the Chinese people based on the needs of Chinese patients. The implantation of biological knee prosthesis is significant in both clinical practice and industry innovation.
