RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ease and accuracy of using a 3-D printed (3-DP) drill guide to insert Kirschner wires through the ilium and into the sacral body in preparation for minimally invasive iliosacral screw placement in dog cadavers. ANIMALS: 10 dog cadavers weighing 20 to 30 kg (mean ± SD, 24.5 ± 5 kg). METHODS: Kirschner wires were placed using a limited approach to the lateral ilium. Fluoroscopy was used in freehand and 3-DP drill guide application groups to facilitate the placement of a 1.0-mm Kirschner wire that was over-drilled using a 2.5-mm cannulated drill bit. Kirschner wires were placed using a 3-DP drill guide on 1 hemipelvis and freehand wire placement was done on the contralateral hemipelvis. Postprocedural CTs were obtained, and 2-D and 3-D analyses were performed. The Student t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to compare groups. A Pearson correlation coefficient was performed to evaluate the in-group correlation. RESULTS: Likert scores that assessed the ease of the procedure were significantly greater (P = .04) and the incision length was significantly shorter (P = .016) in the 3-DP drill guide group compared with the freehand group. The time of the procedure, the number of attempts to obtain accurate Kirschner wire placement, and fluoroscopy images did not differ (P > .05) between application groups. Drill tracks were primarily confined to the sacral body, with minor projected screw thread cortical breeches occurred in 1 cadaver in the freehand group and 2 cadavers in the 3-DP drill guide group. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The 3-DP drill guide simplified appropriate iliosacral Kirschner wire placement through a smaller incision compared with freehand drilling and would appear to be an efficient, practical instrument to facilitate accurate fluoroscopic-assisted screw placement when stabilizing sacroiliac luxations in dogs.