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One Patient. One Story.
The Challenge
At nine years old, Charlie felt a strong pain in his left knee. After initial X-rays, surgeons concluded that he had an osteosarcoma in his left distal femur.
To avoid an amputation of his leg, Charlie’s surgeons contacted customLINK and requested a partial femoral replacement which is able to grow together naturally as Charlie grows older.
customLINK's solution
Based on CT data and X-rays, customLINK created a 3D model of Charlie’s femur and tibia. From this, a custom hinged knee prosthesis was designed. This was connected to a proximal cementless femoral stem by a custom growth mechanism that allows an extension of up to 90mm.
To adjust the prosthesis, only a small incision is necessary to extend the mechanism by 2mm per rotation.
On the tibial side, a polished tibial stem was vital to prevent further bone ingrowth and to preserve the epiphyseal plate.
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Charlie's future
The surgery was a success and Charlie and his family were satisfied with the treatment.
Days after surgery, Charlie was able to do his first steps with his custom implant, supported by under-arm crutches. The decision of opting for minimal annual invasive surgery for prosthesis extension over amputation was the correct outcome and up to present there is no sign of tumor progression.
Do you have a challenge like this?
Please send us scaled X-ray and / or CT data following the respective X-ray or CT protocols.
Additionally, we need information on the resection size, as well as on the maximal extension the implant should cover.
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