Digital Approach in Reconstruction of Craniofacial Defect

Abstract

The reconstruction of craniofacial bone defects is a complex process which may involve a prolonged duration of the surgical procedure and as a consequence, an increased stress on the patient. This is partly due to the inability to design and form implants. The use of digital tools such as 3D CAD systems, Digitiser and Rapid Prototyping machines allow an effective and accurate design and fabrication of titanium implant. These tools have been proven to be effective in product development in manufacturing industry and are gaining popularity in the medical and surgical areas. Two case studies on the design and use of titanium mesh implant are presented, involving the reconstruction of skull of vehicle accident patient and replacement of mandible with titanium mesh for tumour patient. In both cases, 3D models of the craniofacial defect are generated in CAD software from CT data. The data is used to generate Stereolithography (SLA) models of skulls and implants. The clinical results of patients after reconstruction of craniofacial defects with titanium implants designed and fabricated using digital manufacturing approach were good. Surgeons benefit from the application of these tools by the reduction in the pre-planning time and the high quality of titanium implant design, while patients benefit from effective and high quality diagnosis and treatment.