Research from the Hospital for Special Surgery was highlighted on Apr. 13, showing that custom osseointegration implants had a lower rate of distal chip fracture compared to standard off-the-shelf osseointegrated implants. The findings were discussed by Taylor J. Reif, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital.
The study is significant because it suggests that custom-made titanium implants, which can be shaped specifically for each patient’s bone structure, may reduce certain complications during surgery. This could impact how surgeons approach complex cases involving uniquely shaped bones and improve patient outcomes.
Reif said, “Within the last 5 to 10 years there has been a lot more industry that has been capable of quickly turning around custom titanium implants with a textured surface that can achieve osseointegration and be made whatever shape we need it to be made. Seeing this trend happening within orthopedics, we applied it to osseointegration. In our case, we thought this is an odd shape to this bone, maybe we should try something custom to get a better fit and then assessing the custom group vs. our prior group.”
He also noted differences in surgical results: “The biggest difference we saw was, intraoperatively, the custom implants had a much lower rate — 0% — when we looked at our initial cohort of fracturing the bone while putting in the implant. That makes sense because the implants have been custom fit to that bone, so it tends to go in nicely and fit perfectly.”
Reif added: “This is something that we want to continue to evaluate because we know we are going to continue to be in these circumstances where we have oddly shaped bones that we would like to do osseointegration on, and having that option to have a custom fit implant is going to be nice, especially if they function ultimately in the same way as the other implants.”
The Hospital for Special Surgery contributes specialized orthopedic care and advances musculoskeletal research according to its official website. The hospital consistently ranks among top institutions for orthopedics and holds multiple Magnet designations recognizing nursing excellence according to its official website. It focuses on enhancing mobility and life quality through advanced patient care and research in orthopedic surgery and rheumatology according to its official website.
In addition, HSS extends its services beyond its main campus through partnerships aimed at providing specialized orthopedic care in regions such as Southwest Florida according to its official website.
As research into customized implant solutions continues at HSS—an institution known for high-quality care aimed at improving mobility—future studies may further define best practices for treating patients with unique anatomical needs.
