[Pre-operative diagnosis of complex craniofacial syndromes]

The aim of this study was to evaluate stereolithography as a tool in craniofacial surgery. The indications were classified according to the usefulness of stereolithography for different craniofacial pathologies. Stereolithography models of 21 patients were built; in three cases two models were made. The age of the 7 male and 14 female patients was 17 years on average (range: 15 months-44 years). First a helical volume CT scan of the anatomical region was performed. After transformation of the data set, the models were built by an SLA 250 stereolithography apparatus (3D-Systems, Valencia, Calif., USA), steered by FORM-IT/DCS-Software (University of Zurich, Switzerland). The stereolithography models were constructed by superposition of epoxy resin slices of 0.05 mm thickness, which were polymerized by a helium-cadmium laser. These models were classified according to the indication for stereolithography, the operation performed, the relevance for surgical planning and the usefulness for the fabrication of implants and protheses. In craniofacial syndromes, severe asymmetries of the viscerocranium, large skull defects and before surgical correction of hypertelorism these models provided important additional information for the surgeon. Before complex interventions in these fields the construction of a stereolithography model should be considered. In multiple fractures consolidated in dislocation, the models proved to be less useful.