---
title: "Vinmec performs total elbow megaprosthesis using 3D guided technology"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/vinmec-performs-total-elbow-megaprosthesis-using-3d-guided-technology/
date: 2026-01-30
modified: 2026-01-30
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "Vinmec, Vietnam’s leading private healthcare system, has strengthened its position as a leading innovator in medical 3D printing technology by successfully completing a total elbow megaprosthesis. The rare and highly..."
categories:
  - "Case Studies"
  - "Prosthetics"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Vinmec-02.jpg
word_count: 384
---

# Vinmec performs total elbow megaprosthesis using 3D guided technology

[Vinmec, Vietnam’s leading private healthcare system](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/vinmec-healthcare-system/), has strengthened its position as a leading innovator in medical 3D printing technology by successfully completing a total elbow megaprosthesis.

The rare and highly complex surgery marks a key milestone in advanced orthopedic surgery in the country. The procedure [restored arm function](https://www.voxelmatters.com/engineers-develop-advanced-prosthetic-hand-using-3d-printing/) to the patient after almost 30 years of severe disability, and follows in Vinmec’s pioneering pathway in 3D printed medical innovation.

Last year, [Vinmec carried out a total femoral replacement using personalized 3D printed metal for a child patient](https://www.voxelmatters.com/vinmec-performs-tfr-surgery-using-3d-printed-metal-implant/) – an unprecedented solution for the traditionally accepted approach in the country. Vinmec had already become the first hospital in Southeast Asia to successfully perform a fully 3D printed titanium chest wall reconstruction.

For its latest advancement in 3D medical tech, Vinmec treated patient Vu Hong Phong, whose elbow joint was completely fused and unstable as a result of a childhood injury that had progressively deteriorated over time. The elbow had an estimated 6-centimeter defect in the distal humerus, resulting in the left arm being 4-5 centimeters shorter than the right, characteristics that pushed the case beyond standard elbow replacement.

![Vinmec performs total elbow megaprosthesis using 3D guided technology](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Vinmec-01-e1769774162717-340x248.jpg)Patient Vu Hong Phong

“This is an extremely rare case with a very high level of complexity, and there are virtually no precedents in Vietnam,” stated Dr. Tran Quyet, Head of Upper Limb Surgery, Musculoskeletal and Orthopedic Trauma Center at Vinmec Times City. “The patient has waited for 27 years. Another failure would have had a severe psychological impact. That is why we were determined to create a new opportunity to change his life.”

The medical team opted for a total elbow megaprosthesis combined with reconstruction of the extensive bone defect, given the complexity of the situation.

Using advanced in-hospital 3D technology, the elbow was rebuilt virtually, layer by layer. The reconstruction was planned in detail using CT-based models to simulate the existing deformity and design a prosthesis that was bespoke to the patient’s unique joint anatomy.

Three days post-operation Phong was able to gently move his arm, and within just two weeks had full extension of the elbow and a life-transforming range of movement.

* *“After nearly 30 years, I finally feel like I have a normal arm again,” said Phong. “It moves so naturally as if I never had surgery at all.”