Posterior surgery assisted by three dimensional printing technology in the treatment of sacroiliac joint tuberculosis

Background Three-dimensional (3D) printing is becoming increasingly important in spinal surgery, and few literatures have reported the surgical management for sacroiliac joint tuberculosis assisted by three dimensional printing technology. Purpose The study aim to assess the efficacy and feasibility of surgical treatment in sacroiliac joint tuberculosis (SJT) by posterior sacroiliac screws fixation, debridement and fusion, which assisted by three dimensional printing technology. Method Twenty-six patients with sacroiliac joint tuberculosis treated by surgery in our department between January 2008 and December 2015 . All the patients were divided into two group base on three dimensional printing technology: 11 cases in Group A underwent posterior debridement, fusion and sacroiliac screws fixation, and 15 cases in Group B underwent posterior debridement, bone graft, sacroiliac screws fixation, and three dimensional printing technology. Clinical and radiographic results for the two groups were analyzed and compared. Results All patients were followed up with an average 33.8±7.9 months (24–48 months). The sacroiliac joint tuberculosis was completely cured and the grafted bones were fused in all 26 patients. No injured nerve or other severe complications occurred in both groups. Group B achieved much better results in time of operation, intra-operative blood loss, and number of intra-operative fluoroscopy than group A ( p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in ESR, fusion time, and VAS score in the last follow-up ( p >0.05). Conclusions The three dimensional printing technology can achieve the better effect in the treatment of sacroiliac joint tuberculosis. Posterior surgery assisted by three dimensional printing technology in the treatment of sacroiliac joint tuberculosis has the characteristics of shorter operative time, less bleeding, and less number of intra-operative fluoroscopy.