Case Study: Ghent University Hospital achieves precise, patient-specific clavicle reconstruction and reduced OR time with Materialise

Reconstructing a Painful Clavicle

At Ghent University Hospital, Prof. Dr. Alexander Van Tongel treated a young patient with a shortened clavicle and excess callus at the sterno‑clavicular joint that caused pain and cosmetic and functional problems. The surgical team engaged Materialise for advanced 3D preoperative analysis and planning to support a corrective osteotomy.

Materialise clinical engineers used CT-based 3D overlays of the mirrored healthy clavicle to simulate osteotomy options, plate bending and screw trajectories, then designed patient-specific cutting and drilling guides, provided an anatomical model for pre-bending the plate, and delivered a full case report (including approximate screw lengths). Using the SurgiCase platform for online collaboration, Materialise’s solution guided fixation with 11 screws, reduced intraoperative uncertainty and saved OR time while achieving the planned correction.

Ghent University Hospital

Alexander Van Tongel

Doctor