Fabricating auricular prostheses using three-dimensional soft tissue models

This article describes a method for fabricating an auricular prosthesis. This procedure uses the contours of the soft tissue surface from computerized tomography scans to fabricate a computer-generated, side-inverted 3-dimensional soft tissue model from a solid block of polyurethane using an Endoplan milling machine. The resultant 3-dimensional soft tissue model can then be used as the basis for a wax sculpture. This procedure facilitates the planning of the prosthesis; symmetrical modeling, especially for large, hemifacial defects; and the impression, which can be made on the model itself.