Clinical Evaluation of Prosthetic Sockets Manufactured by Selective Laser Sintering

A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical acceptance of prosthetic limb sockets manufactured using solid freeform fabrication (SFF). The fabrication of sockets for amputees is a natural application for SFF. The socket is the part of the prosthetic limb that fits onto the amputee’s residual limb. Each socket is custom manufactured for each individual amputee. Four amputees were successfully fit with sockets created using selective laser sintering. The scope of the study included software development, finite element analysis, materials testing, and clinical evaluation. This paper discusses socket design issues and clinical testing results.