A 3-Dimensional-Printed Short-Segment Template Prototype for Mandibular Fracture Repair

Area of Science:

• Maxillofacial surgery
• Biomedical engineering
• 3D printing applications

Background:

• Contouring fracture plates for complex mandibular fractures can be time-consuming.
• Preoperative planning is crucial for successful mandibular fracture repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of using 3-D-printed short-segment mandibular templates for complex mandibular fracture management.
• To assess the time efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these templates compared to traditional methods.

Main Methods:

• A feasibility study utilized maxillofacial computed tomography data from 3 patients with comminuted mandibular fractures.
• 3-D models were segmented and used to create patient- and site-specific short-segment templates.
• Fracture plates were contoured using these templates in a simulated preoperative setting.

Main Results:

• 3-D template printing took under 3 hours per template.
• Precontouring plates with templates saved a median of 5-7 minutes intraoperatively per segment.
• 3-D templates cost less than $20, compared to approximately $2200 for a complete model.

Conclusions:

• Patient- and site-specific 3-D-printed short-segment templates are feasible for complex mandibular fracture repair.
• These templates are cost-efficient and facilitate plate contouring effectively.
• Further studies are warranted to confirm reduced operative costs and time in clinical practice.