3D Bioprinting for Custom Bone Grafts in Orthopaedic Trauma: Current Advances and Clinical Translation

TL;DR

3D bioprinting offers a promising solution for creating custom bone grafts to treat severe bone injuries, potentially improving healing and reducing surgical complications.

Contribution

The paper reviews recent innovations in 3D bioprinting tailored for orthopaedic trauma, emphasizing clinical translation and patient-specific graft fabrication.

Findings

3D bioprinting can produce patient-specific bone grafts that match defect geometry and mechanical needs.

Emerging techniques like in situ bioprinting and personalized grafts using patient cells show potential for clinical use.

Preclinical models and early clinical trials highlight progress in treating complex fractures and combat injuries.

Abstract

Traumatic bone loss in orthopaedic trauma presents significant clinical challenges, particularly arising from high-energy injuries, open fractures with segmental defects, and blast trauma, where bone loss exceeds the critical size for spontaneous healing. Traditional management strategies, including autografts, allografts, and the Masquelet-induced membrane technique, are associated with limitations such as donor site morbidity, prolonged treatment duration, multiple surgical procedures, and suboptimal outcomes. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology has emerged as a promising solution for fabricating patient-specific bone grafts tailored to individual defect geometry and mechanical requirements.

This narrative review examines current advances in 3D bioprinting specifically for orthopaedic trauma applications, focusing on technologies relevant to long bone reconstruction, load-bearing requirements, and complex fracture management. We analyze various bioprinting modalities, including extrusion-based and stereolithography techniques, alongside biomaterial developments in bioceramics, biodegradable polymers, and mechanically competent composite scaffolds. Clinical applications in femoral and tibial segmental defects, periarticular fractures, and combat-related extremity injuries are reviewed, with emphasis on preclinical large animal models and early clinical experiences. Critical challenges specific to orthopaedic trauma, including mechanical loading demands, infection risk in contaminated wounds, and integration with existing fixation systems, are discussed.

This review examines emerging innovations, such as in situ bioprinting for intraoperative graft fabrication and personalized approaches incorporating patient-derived cells and growth factors. As bioprinting technology continues to mature, integration into orthopaedic trauma protocols promises to reduce treatment complexity, accelerate healing, and improve functional outcomes for patients with devastating skeletal injuries requiring advanced reconstructive solutions.