1. Introduction

Each human has individual physical characteristics and differs not only in his individual anthropometry and morphology but also in the biomechanical properties of his various

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biological structures. In order to take these individual factors into account, medicine is going to great lengths to offer tailor-made intervention to individual patients. In the last few years, "individualized medicine" has been addressed as a significant development in medicine. In individualized medicine, products are only suitable for the target patient, but not in a comparable way for others. Overall, individualized medicine can be divided into five different typologies [1]:


Therapeutic uniqueness is understood as an individual patient's tailor-made therapeutic device. The idea of individualized devices is not restricted to a specific medical area, but is used in different medical applications. Examples of such individual medical devices are as follows:


In spinal surgery, it is common practice to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) imaging to assemble, for example, pedicle screw spinal systems consisting of a rod, screw, hook-connector kit to take the patient's individual physiology into account. Currently, the pedicle screw spinal systems are available in different standardized sizes, which fulfill different requirements. In some of these standard implants, for example, there is also the possibility of adjusting the inclination angles of the contact surfaces of the implant to the vertebral body. Despite these adjustment possibilities, due to the very different anatomical conditions of the patents, in some cases only an insufficient anchoring of the implant can be achieved. Further reasons for the need of more precise individualized implants are disease-specific requirements. The aim is to improve the surgical outcome through an exact individual adaptation and adequate fitting to individual anatomical needs [3]. A modern manufacturing process for such therapeutic uniqueness is a patient-specific production by means of "rapid prototyping," in which the individualization is based on the manufacturing process of the single-unit production [1].

biological structures. In order to take these individual factors into account, medicine is going to great lengths to offer tailor-made intervention to individual patients. In the last few years, "individualized medicine" has been addressed as a significant development in medicine. In individualized medicine, products are only suitable for the target patient, but not in a comparable way for others. Overall, individualized medicine can be divided into five different

Therapeutic uniqueness is understood as an individual patient's tailor-made therapeutic device. The idea of individualized devices is not restricted to a specific medical area, but is used in different medical applications. Examples of such individual medical devices are as

• Artificial pancreas device system, as a device under clinical investigation that automatically monitors patient's glucose levels and delivers patient-tailored insulin doses in people

• Software-based quantitative electrocardiogram (EEG) analysis to predict an individual's

• Zenith Fenestrated AAA Endovascular Graft as an indicator for the endovascular treatment of patients with abdominal aortic or aortoiliac aneurysms having morphology

In spinal surgery, it is common practice to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) imaging to assemble, for example, pedicle screw spinal systems consisting of a rod, screw, hook-connector kit to take the patient's individual physiology into account. Currently, the pedicle screw spinal systems are available in different standardized sizes, which fulfill different requirements. In some of these standard implants, for example, there is also the possibility of adjusting the inclination angles of the contact surfaces of the implant to the vertebral body. Despite these adjustment possibilities, due to the very different anatomical conditions of the patents, in some cases only an insufficient anchoring of the implant can be achieved. Further reasons for the need of more precise individualized implants are disease-specific requirements. The aim is to improve the surgical outcome through an exact individual adaptation and adequate fitting to individual anatomical needs [3]. A modern manufacturing process for such therapeutic

• Tinnitus masker, which is personalized by the manufacturer to patient tinnitus.

typologies [1]:

follows:

1. Biomarker-based stratification

48 Innovations in Spinal Deformities and Postural Disorders

3. Determination of risk of disease 4. Differential offers for intervention

5. Therapeutic unique devices.

with diabetes.

response to various psychotropic drugs.

suitable for endovascular repair [2].

2. Genome-based information about health-related characteristics

A further step in individualized manufacturing process could be the integration of a preoperative simulation of the spinal stress situation taking the biomechanical conditions of the respective patient into account. This will allow a prediction of the effects of the surgical procedure and an identification of the best possible surgical option. How this would be implemented in a clinical workflow practice is discussed in the subsequent section by means of an extended process chain of rapid prototyping.
