ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The reverse shoulder arthroplasty is a common orthopaedic procedure, where placement of the initial guiding wire is paramount to the implant instrumentation and position. To improve the position of the guiding wire, navigation and patient specific instrumentation have been used. These are however expensive and lengthy with many logistical issues. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We utilised in house 3D printing to create a surgical guide to help with positioning of the central guiding wire. Pre and post op CT scans were utilised to determine positioning of the central screw. RESULTS: Position of the screw tip was a mean of 3.3 mm away from the central point of the thickest portion of bone in the scapula with good bony purchase. There were no complications reported. DISCUSSION: We report our experience in creation of the 3D printed surgical jig and the pearls of its creation, detailing from CT scan image acquisition to creation of surgical guide to intraoperative usage. 3D printing is a cost effective and accurate solution for the positioning of orthopaedic instrumentation. This can be easily applied to other operations in our institution, even with a low start up cost.
