An integrated orthognathic surgery system for virtual planning and image-guided transfer without intermediate splint

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Medical Imaging
• Computer-Aided Surgery

Background:

• Orthognathic surgery requires precise planning and execution for optimal patient outcomes.
• Conventional planning relies on 2D cephalometric radiography and physical models, which can be time-consuming and less accurate.
• Transferring virtual surgical plans to physical models often involves intermediate steps like splint fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an integrated system for 3D virtual surgical planning and image-guided transfer in orthognathic surgery.
• To compare the accuracy of image-guided transfer with conventional model surgery.
• To assess the feasibility of directly transferring virtual plans without intermediate splints.

Main Methods:

• Development of an integrated system combining 3D virtual planning software with image-guided technology.
• Virtual planning of maxillary surgery for orthognathic patients.
• Direct transfer of virtual surgical plans to physical cast models using image guidance.
• Comparison of virtual surgery results with conventional paper and model surgery outcomes.

Main Results:

• The root mean square (RMS) difference between virtual surgery and conventional model surgery was 0.75 ± 0.51 mm.
• The RMS difference between virtual surgery and image-guided transfer results was 0.78 ± 0.52 mm.
• No significant difference was found between the accuracy of the image-guided system and conventional methods.

Conclusions:

• The integrated 3D virtual planning and image-guided orthognathic surgery system offers comparable accuracy to traditional methods.
• This system has the potential to replace physical model surgical planning.
• Direct image-guided transfer streamlines the process, eliminating the need for intermediate splints and improving efficiency.