Design-Stage Feasibility Study of an Integrated 3D-Printed Nerve Conduit and Portable Monitoring System.

(1)

Background

Peripheral nerve repair requires structural guidance and reliable functional assessment, yet current commercial conduits lack internal microarchitecture and do not integrate real-time monitoring capabilities. This study presents an engineering-focused feasibility assessment of a dual system combining a microstructured 3D-printed nerve guidance conduit with a portable neuromuscular monitoring device. (2)

Methods

Two conduit variants were digitally designed based on median nerve anatomical dimensions and fabricated using FDM (PLA) for large-scale prototypes and SLA for high-resolution miniaturized models. Structural behavior was evaluated through simplified finite element analysis (FEA) under physiological pressure ranges (1000-5000 Pa). A portable monitoring system incorporating surface EMG electrodes, an AD620 instrumentation amplifier, and an ESP32 microcontroller was assembled and tested non-invasively on a healthy adult volunteer to verify signal acquisition functionality.

Results

Both conduit designs were successfully fabricated with accurate reproduction of internal microchannels. FEA indicated negligible deformation (1.41 × 10-11-1.69 × 10-10 mm) and low stress values (0.0129-0.155 N/m2), confirming structural stability under the simplified loading model. The monitoring system recorded stable EMG signals (3200-3500 ADC units), demonstrating correct operation of the acquisition chain during controlled stimulation. (3)

Conclusions

This work provides a design-stage engineering feasibility demonstration of an integrated platform combining a microstructured 3D-printed conduit with a portable neuromuscular monitoring device. The study does not include biological validation; prototypes were evaluated solely for geometric and mechanical fidelity; and the monitoring system was tested only for functional signal acquisition. Future work will address biocompatibility, in vitro assays, and in vivo evaluation.