Abstract: Objective To analyze the clinical effect of 3D printing technology assisted pedicle screw placement on thoracolumbar fractures. Methods Forty patients with thoracic and lumbar spine fractures admitted from July 2017 to July 2019 were selected as study subjects. Among them, 20 patients underwent conventional pedicle screw placement and were included as the control group; the other 20 patients underwent 3D printing technology assisted pedicle screw placement after physician observation and stimulated operation were included as the observation group. The perioperative indicators, screw placement effect, reduction of injured vertebrae, and complications were compared between the two groups. Results The operation time, amount of blood loss, amount of blood transfusion, and number of X-ray exposure in the observation group were less than those in the control group （P<0.05）. The number of screws used in the observation group was less than that in the control group, and the accuracy of screw placement was higher （P<0.05）. Six months after the operation, the ratio of anterior to posterior vertebrae height in the observation group was larger than that in the control group, and the sagittal kyphosis Cobb angle was smaller （P<0.05）. The incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group was lower than that in the control group （P<0.05）. Conclusion The use of 3D printing technology to assist physicians in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures with pedicle screws can effectively reduce the difficulty of surgery, improve the quality of surgery, and achieve a more ideal fracture reduction effect.

Key words: Thoracolumbar fractures, Pedicle screw, 3D printing technology, Fracture reduction, Surgical simulation