An investigation into the accuracy of reverse surface models of complex shaped hard tissues from data acquired with computed tomography scanning

In the present investigation, reverse engineering of customised medical implants has been investigated. Computed tomography scanning technique has been used to obtain data to reverse engineer Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) models of femur and tibia of the human knee joint. To replicate the fractured bones, various features such as holes, cavities and pockets have been created in models. Models have been investigated for accuracy over a range of slice thickness, slice spacing and smoothing of complex features. Results show that accuracy could be improved by reduction in slice spacing for the same slice thickness without any noticeable effect on the size. This may result in geometrically precise implants, shorter recovery time and enhanced aesthetics as compared to the standard size implants. Moreover, reduction of radiation exposure to the patients could be obtained for reverse engineering and clinical applications.