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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1491620

Retrospective analysis of custom 3D-printed drill guides and titanium plate use in spinal stabilization of eleven dogs

Provisionally accepted
Phillip Guirguis Phillip Guirguis 1Ilja Asanovic Ilja Asanovic 2David S Beggs David S Beggs 1*Sam Long Sam Long 3
  • 1 Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
  • 2 Centre of Advanced Batch Manufacture, Swansea, United Kingdom
  • 3 Veterinary Referral Hospital, Dandenong, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Congenital vertebral malformations are common developmental abnormalities in screw-tailed brachycephalic dog breeds. Subsequent vertebral instability and/or vertebral canal stenosis caused by these malformations can lead to spinal cord compression manifesting in pain, paraparesis, ataxia and/or paralysis. Various methods for spinal stabilization are in common use. However, these are without significant risk due to narrow margins of surgical error and variable vertebral anatomy. We evaluate a novel method for spinal stabilization where a custom 3D-printed plate is created and surgically fitted to the patient's spine using custom 3D-printed drill guides.Objective: To describe the surgical technique and short-term outcomes in patients treated with custom 3D-printed plates and drill guides.Method: A retrospective analysis of 11 dogs from two referral hospitals which underwent this procedure was undertaken. Post-operative CT scans were assessed for spinal canal screw perforation using the modified Zdichavsky classification. Pre-operative and post-operative neurological status were assessed using the Modified Frankel Scale and the surgical technique including post-operative imaging and recovery findings were described.Results: Optimal screw placement (grade I) was achieved in 63% of placed screws across the eleven dogs. Partial penetration of the medial wall (grade IIa) was observed in 3% of screws and partial penetration of the lateral wall (grade IIIa) was observed in 29% of screws. Full penetration of the lateral pedicle wall (grade IIIb) was observed in 5% of screws and no screws fully penetrated the medial vertebral wall (grade IIb).Discussion: We demonstrated that custom 3D-printed drill guides and titanium plates can provide a safe peri-operative alternative for surgical spinal stabilization of dogs with vertebral column instability due to congenital vertebral malformations. Further research is needed to describe long-term outcomes of this surgical technique on patient health.

    Keywords: canine, vertebral malformation, Spinal stabilisation, Titanium plates, 3Dprinted Drill Guides

    Received: 05 Sep 2024; Accepted: 11 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Guirguis, Asanovic, Beggs and Long. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: David S Beggs, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Victoria, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.