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Published on: May 23, 2020
Three-dimensional analysis and treatment planning of hemimandibular hyperplasia
Sandro Pelo1, Pasquale Correra, Giulio Gasparini
1Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Catholic University Medical School, Rome, Italy.
Introduction:
The advent of computed tomography (CT) provided a useful instrument for diagnosis and surgical treatment of patients with craniofacial malformations. The development of software for three-dimensional graphic simulation applied to CT scan has made possible the three-dimensional computerized analysis, surgical planning, and simulation. This kind of analysis is particularly useful in case of complex facial malformations, making reliable a surgical treatment in 1 step. The purpose of this report was to present the diagnosis and treatment planning on a patient with hemimandibular hyperplasia by three-dimensional cephalometric analysis.
Methods:
A 20-year-old young woman who presented with hemimandibular hyperplasia was investigated with CT scan and plaster cast mounted on an articulator; a two-dimensional manual and computerized cephalometric analysis was also developed on frontal and lateral cephalograms. Images in DICOM format were processed on a PC by means of commercial software, thus obtaining the three-dimensional reconstruction of the skeletal structures.
Results:
Three-dimensional CT permits to program skeletal corrections and to foresee surgical outcomes with adequate realism. Surgical planning based on three-dimensional CT makes it easy and reliable to achieve the correction of the malformation in a single surgical intervention.
Conclusions:
The virtual three-dimensional CT model, a versatile diagnostic aid, has proven to be effective in the exact reproduction of bone and soft tissue anatomy, thus helping in the diagnosis, surgical planning, and simulations. Three-dimensional analysis is particularly indicated in case of complex asymmetric malformations, in which the more accurate reproduction of the individual anatomy can be very useful in implementing surgical results.
