Personalized Bioactive Nasal Supports for Postoperative Cleft Rhinoplasty

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Plastic Surgery

Background:

• Postoperative cleft lip and palate surgery often requires nasal supports for optimal healing.
• Current methods utilize generic, one-size-fits-all nasal stents, limiting precise contour adaptation.
• There is a need for patient-specific solutions to improve nasal reconstruction outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of photogrammetry and 3D printing for creating patient-specific postoperative nasal supports.
• To explore the potential of incorporating bioactive agents for localized drug delivery within these custom supports.

Main Methods:

• A digital model of a normal nostril was created using photogrammetry from mobile phone images.
• Computer-aided design was used to generate hollow, bilateral nasal supports.
• 3D prints were coated with penicillin and tested for antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli.

Main Results:

• The photogrammetry and 3D printing approach achieved high contour replication accuracy.
• Antibiotic coating demonstrated significant inhibition of bacterial growth (mean zone of inhibition: 15.15 ± 0.99 mm).

Conclusions:

• Consumer-grade 3D printing is a viable method for fabricating patient-specific nasal supports for cleft repair.
• These bioactive 3D printed devices show promise for personalized drug delivery and advanced medical applications.