Abstract:Objective To observe the effect of combining preoperative three-dimensional reconstruction and 3D printing technology on operation treatment of ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament（OPLL）and its influence on incidence of postoperative complications. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed in the clinical data of 43 OPLL patients treated from June 2014 to June 2017.According to whether 3D printing technology was used to assist surgical treatment,the patients were divided into experimental group(n=22）and control group（n=21）.In control group,the surgical approach was selected and conducted by analyzing the imaging results.In observation group,based on thin-section CT images of cervical vertebra and 3D model data reconstructed by Mimics software and 3D printer,3D model of cervical vertebra was made to assist operation treatment.The operation situation(operation time,intraoperative blood loss and hospital stay），the incidence of complications during the first postoperative week，Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scores(JOA）and visual analogue scale（VAS）before operation,one week after surgery,12-,18-month after surgery were observed and compared between two groups. Results The operation time and bleeding volume in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.05),and there was no significant difference in hospital stay between two groups （P>0.05）.There was no significant difference in JOA scores at 1 week and 12 months after surgery between two groups （P>0.05）,but JOA score in observation group was statistically higher than that in control group at 18 months after surgery（P<0.05）.VAS score in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group at 1 week after surgery（P<0.05）,and there were no significant differences in VAS scores at 12-,18-month after surgery between two groups（P>0.05）.Within one week after surgery,the total incidence of complications in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group (13.64% vs 42.86%,P<0.05). ConclusionPreoperative using of 3D reconstruction and 3D printing to assist surgery treatment of OPLL can effectively reduce the operation time,intraoperative bleeding and the incidence of complications one week after operation.