The Anatomage Table and the placement of titanium mesh for the management of orbital floor fractures

Abstract

The anatomy of the head and neck region is complex as are its implications for maxillofacial pathologic conditions and their surgical treatments. We hypothesize that the assessment of the surgical management of orbital floor fractures by using titanium mesh could represent an appropriate first experimental field for the use of the Anatomage Table in maxillofacial surgery. Patients with unilateral orbital floor fractures were searched for in the hospital database of Novara University Hospital, Novara, Italy. The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine data of preoperative and postoperative computed tomography examinations were retrieved and were uploaded in the Anatomage Table device. Then, a workstation was used to create anatomic dissection coronal and sagittal images together with the corresponding computed tomography scans. Finally, 10 maxillofacial surgery residents and young surgeons were involved in the assessment of the images. The young surgeons reported a higher clarity of anatomic dissection images in comparison with computed tomography scans both in preoperative and postoperative images. The fields of application of this new technology are wide and promising, ranging from the education, to the follow-up, to patient informed consent.