Materialise & Consensus Orthopedics Sign Knee Guide 3D Printing System Pact

Consensus Orthopedics Inc. is a California manufacturer of hip and knee implants. For the last 20 years, the company has been bringing their orthopedic design and manufacturing experience to bear, building joint implants and instruments for the global market.

Now as part of a new deal with Belgian firm Materialise, Consensus Orthopedics will use that company’s Knee Guide System – 3D surgical planning software and patient-specific surgical guides for knee surgery – which allows surgeons to plan knee surgeries based on a given patient’s unique anatomical and structural requirements.

The system is used to make pre-operative plans and fabricate patient-specific guides which are 3D printed for use during surgical procedures.

The Materialise Knee Guide System is an end-to-end solution, and the first total knee surgery to be planned using the Knee Guide System was completed in September of last year. This technology proceeds from pre-planning of knee replacement surgeries through the 3D printing of necessary surgical guides which are based on data from 2D X-ray images.

Dr. Roger Jaeken, the surgeon who performed the first operation, says it’s the ability to work from X-ray images rather than CT scan data which will make the surgical pre-planning process even more efficient as patients will no longer be forced to undergo CT or MRI scans.

“Since the start of Materialise 25 years ago, it has been our mission to improve people’s lives through meaningful applications of 3D printing. It is the realization of this mission that first led us to pioneer medical image based guide technology, including solutions for the knee, and is why a collaboration with Consensus Orthopedics is a natural next step,” says Jeroen Dille, the Director of Materialise’s Clinical Unit. “Through this collaboration, we are further positioned to help even more surgeons discover the benefits that 3D printing can offer in the planning and execution of total knee arthroplasty.”

Colleen Gray, the President and CEO of Consensus, says the fact that Materialise offers “a unique and differentiated product” was key to the deal.

“The ability for our surgeons to pre-operatively plan – and use patient-specific guides based on their patients’ MRI – allows for more predictable surgical outcomes,” Gray says. “Consensus is excited to team with Materialise and deliver innovative solutions for the orthopedic market.”

Both companies say the fact that the technology is built on 25 years of experience in 3D planning and printing for medical applications through dedicated 3D visualization and planning software, engineering, and design services means the production of 3D printed, patient-specific guides and implants is a proven system.

Can you envision a time when the Materialise Knee Guide system will make strong inroads into the surgical planning market in the US? Let us know in the Materialise Knee Guide System forum thread on 3DPB.com.