Genioplasty using a simple CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) surgical guide
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Updated: Mar 29, 2026
Designing CAD/CAM Surgical Guides for Maxillary Reconstruction Using an In-house Approach
Published on: August 24, 2018
Se-Ho Lim1, Moon-Key Kim1, Sang-Hoon Kang1
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, 100 Ilsan-ro, Ilsan-donggu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do 410-719 Republic of Korea.
Background:
The present study introduces the design and fabrication of a simple surgical guide with which to perform genioplasty.
Methods:
A three-dimensional reconstruction of the patient's cranio-maxilla region was built, with a dentofacial skeletal model, then derived from CT DICOM data. A surgical simulation was performed on the maxilla and mandible, using three-dimensional cephalometry. We then simulated a full genioplasty, in silico, using the three-dimensional (3D) model of the mandible, according to the final surgical treatment plan. The simulation allowed us to design a surgical guide for genioplasty, which was then computer-rendered and 3D-printed. The manufactured surgical device was ultimately used in an actual genioplasty to guide the osteotomy and to move the cut bone segment to the intended location.
Results:
We successfully performed the osteotomy, as planned during a genioplasty, using the computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) surgical guide that we initially designed and tested using simulated surgery.
Conclusions:
The surgical guide that we developed proved to be a simple and practical tool with which to assist the surgeon in accurately cutting and removing bone segments, during a genioplasty surgery, as preoperatively planned during 3D surgical simulations.
