Instrumentalized 3D printed scaffolds enable bone regeneration and fracture healing monitoring in critical size bone defects

Critical size bone defects do not heal without surgical intervention, and the current methods of treatment lack long-term efficacy and patient satisfaction. Our lab has previously demonstrated the use of 3D printed scaffold mimicking biological tissue structure in the regeneration of large critical size bone defects. In this study, we highlight the effect of dynamization and hardware removal in the regeneration of critical size bone defects treated with our instrumentalized 3D printed polymer scaffold. We demonstrate the sensate capabilities of our scaffolds in long-term monitoring of bone healing and bone-implant biomechanics. All scaffold-implanted groups demonstrated rapid bone growth in the defect space. Dynamization resulted in an increased union rate and bone volume. The hardware removal group demonstrated increased bone stiffness compared to the non-dynamized and control groups.