Use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) in the treatment of vertebral osteosarcoma in dogs submitted to lumbar vertebrectomy: Case report

Osteosarcoma is one of the most commonly reported bone neoplasms in veterinary medicine, especially in large and giant breed dogs, and the vertebral form has an important clinical scenario presenting 5% of the total reports. This has an unfavorable prognosis and a short survival time. The clinical presentation is variable and signs of severe pain to neurological deficits can be observed as a result of progressive spinal cord involvement. The diagnosis can be made by imaging with radiography or computed tomography, and by laboratory analysis of cytopathology or histopathology, the latter being preferable for tumor classification. Partial tumor resection is a palliative form of treatment, indicated in some cases to temporarily relieve clinical signs related to pain and neurological deficits. However, when there is therapeutic possibility, complete excision provides better prognosis and survival time, especially when associated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Through the vertebrectomy procedure, surgical stabilization is necessary and can be performed following the principles for vertebral stabilization due to trauma, with the placement of a vertebral spacer being necessary to prevent spinal collapse. Several materials have been proposed for the manufacture of the spinal spacer. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has transformed the concept of rapid prototyping into reality, due to its ability to quickly manufacture specific geometric parts of high complexity, allowing the elaboration of prototypes for pre-or trans- operative use in highly complex orthopedic surgeries. Polyethylene terephthalateglycol(PETG), being a high-strength, non-biodegradable, biocompatible and low-cost thermoplastic, is the focus of this work in the development of the vertebral spacer as a stabilizer in a vertebrectomy procedure in a dog. (author)