- Peter Highlander, DPM, MS - Board Certified Foot and Ankle Surgeon
Peter D. Highlander, DPM, MS, board certified foot and ankle surgeon at The Bellevue Hospital’s Reconstruction Institute, recently released “Clinical Applications of 3D Printing in Foot and Ankle Surgery,” a textbook style publication that demonstrates how the emerging field of 3D printing technology is being incorporated into clinical settings.
“3D printing is an ever-advancing technology and holds much promise for patients who have difficult-to-treat foot and ankle pathologies,” said Dr. Highlander. “This textbook provides guidance, case examples from surgeons currently using 3D printing in their practices and decision-making criteria on when 3D printing should be considered.”
Dr. Highlander has been heavily involved with 3D printing since 2017. After performing more than 100 surgical procedures using 3D printed technology, giving lectures, and receiving referrals from all over the country, Dr. Highlander was motivated to share his 3D printing experience and knowledge with the world.
“My motivation to speak and write about this topic was that I wanted any person faced with a limb threatening issue to know 3D printed foot or ankle reconstruction may be a viable option, as opposed to a below the knee amputation.”
Dr. Highlander began drafting “Clinical Applications of 3D Printing in Foot and Ankle Surgery” during the COVID-19 pandemic. When giving remote lectures, he caught the interest of three different publishers who asked if he’d be interested in transferring his experience into a written format.
“Having written many textbook chapters, I knew it would be a lot of work. But given the circumstances of the pandemic, I had more free time so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” Dr. Highlander said.
Despite his extensive knowledge and experience, Highlander was curious about the opinions of other surgeons who had attempted similar reconstructions.
“There were so few surgeons attempting these complex surgical reconstructions. They were all easy to find and eager to participate in this project,” he added.
Dr. Highlander also collaborated with mechanical and biochemical engineers to learn more about the advanced engineering work necessary during the weeks prior to a 3D printed procedure.
“Not only is this book the first textbook dedicated to 3D printing in foot and ankle surgery, but it is also the first textbook in any orthopedic specialty to combine insight and expertise from surgeons and engineers,” stated Dr. Highlander. “The ‘cross-pollination’ of two different scientific specialties as demonstrated in this textbook could change how surgeons approach surgery and how engineers approach implant design and manufacturing in the future.”
The entirety of the book, which took three years to complete, was designed as a surgical technique textbook intended to aid practicing physicians as well as advanced surgical residents. Highlander hopes that his words will also spark the curiosity of medical and engineering students.
The first edition of “Clinical Applications of 3D Printing in Foot and Ankle Surgery” was released in April 2023 and published by Elsevier, Inc., a publishing company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its pages are dedicated to Dr. Highlander’s wife Lindsey, who supported his work, seeing the importance of the project and the rarity of the opportunity.
“Clinical Applications of 3D Printing in Foot and Ankle Surgery” is available for purchase on Amazon.com. For more information about The Reconstruction Institute, located at 102 Commerce Park Dr. in Bellevue, call 419.484.5430 or click here.
About Peter Highlander, DPM, MS
Peter Highlander, DPM, MS is a board certified foot and ankle surgeon at The Reconstruction Institute in Bellevue, Ohio. He is a founding member of the American Orthopaedic Society of 3D Printing for which he serves as secretary. In addition to multiple ongoing research projects and patent pending implant designs involving 3D printing, Dr. Highlander serves on the advisory board and is associate professor for the Miller 3D Print Lab at the University of Toledo Medical Center. In 2018, Dr. Highlander was named “Physician Innovator” by Crain’s Cleveland Business newspaper for his role in 3D printing.
Dr. Highlander serves as the medical director for The Reconstruction Institute as well as The Bellevue Hospital’s Wound Reconstruction Center. He also serves as director for The Bellevue Hospital’s foot and ankle reconstruction surgical fellowship, a program which emphasizes 3D printing technology and its role in foot and ankle surgical reconstruction and research.
A graduate of Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine, Dr. Highlander completed his residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.