Dr. Lucas Romine MD, an Orthopedic Surgeon with EmergeOrtho, recently performed a Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty with a custom guide generated from a 3-D printer. Dr. Romine utilized software from DJO surgical known as the Match Point System™ to execute the operation. The surgery, which took place on May 24, 2016 at Johnson Health, was the first of its kind in Johnston County.
The operation required several weeks of pre-operative planning, including virtual placement of the components, 3D analysis of the patient’s severely deformed shoulder, and production of a scapular model. The custom guide was designed, created and utilized specifically for this one procedure.
The patient, Claudious Stallings, had experienced pain in his right shoulder for twenty years, and at his first appointment with Dr. Romine, he unable to move his right arm without severe pain. According to Dr. Romine, “Mr. Stallings was clearly in need of a new shoulder, but he had a rare socket malformation that would make a standard shoulder replacement impossible to implant.”
Fortunately, Dr. Romine, who learned the latest techniques in shoulder surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, had experience with custom designed implants. “Utilizing a CT based 3-D model, I was able to design a custom fit for Mr. Stallings’s shoulder. This allowed me to accurately place the implant where it would work properly, and it significantly decreased the total time of the operation. Essentially, I was able to execute the difficult aspects of the surgery on my laptop computer, weeks in advance,” Dr. Romine stated. “This technology has only become available for shoulder replacements in the United States over the past 3-4 years, so many people are amazed with this new advancement.”
Mr. Stallings is recovering as expected and pleased with the results. He is the organist at First Freewill Baptist Church, a vocation he returned to six weeks after surgery. “I don’t hurt in that shoulder. It’s amazing,” says Stallings. “I was seeking relief and a way to keep serving the Lord by playing the organ. I just kept looking, and I am so thankful I did.”
As a physician-owned practice, EmergeOrtho is committed to patient-centered care, using innovative strategies such as 3D custom modeling to optimize clinical outcomes. There are 49 offices across the state, with two offices in Johnston County.
