Image-guided bone resection as a prospective alternative to cutting templates—A preliminary study

Area of Science:

• Surgical Navigation
• Craniomaxillofacial Surgery
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Image-guided surgery (IGS) is increasingly utilized in complex procedures.
• Accurate bone resection is critical in craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the precision of CMF resections using an image-guided sagittal saw.
• To compare surgical outcomes with preoperative virtual plans.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four CMF resections were conducted with an image-guided sagittal saw.
• Outcomes measured included bone volume, control point position, and osteotomy angle.
• Measurements were repeated by two independent observers for reliability.

Main Results:

• The orbital region showed the best accuracy in bone resection (6.33 ± 4.04%).
• The maxillary region demonstrated the highest precision in control point positioning (2.00 ± 0.66 mm) and osteotomy angle (5.49 ± 3.17 degrees).
• Overall, mean deviations were 9.48% for volume, 2.59 mm for position, and 8.21 degrees for osteotomy trajectory.

Conclusions:

• The image-guided sagittal saw technique shows encouraging accuracy for CMF resections.
• Further refinements are necessary to achieve fully satisfactory clinical results.
• This navigation technique holds potential as a valuable tool for CMF surgery.