In house virtual surgery and 3D complex head and neck reconstruction

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Technology
• 3D Printing Applications

Background:

• 3D printing is increasingly used for surgical guides in head and neck reconstruction.
• Third-party access to 3D printing technology for surgical guides is expensive and limits design control.
• An in-house automated software tool offers a potential solution to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design of an automated in-house software system for mandibular reconstruction.
• To assess the accuracy of this in-house automated software tool in a simulated environment.

Main Methods:

• Developed automated in-house software for preoperative planning and surgical guide creation.
• Otolaryngology residents performed simulated mandibular resection and reconstruction using 3D-printed guides (guided group) or traditional methods (control group).
• Compared reconstruction accuracy (mandibular width, projection, segment gap, reconstruction time) using T-test analysis.

Main Results:

• Successful mandibular reconstruction was achieved in all participants using the 3D-printed system.
• The guided group showed significantly better outcomes in mandibular overlap, projection, and segment gap volume.
• A non-significant trend towards improved mandibular width and operative time was observed in the guided group.

Conclusions:

• The in-house automated software system is functional and feasible for planning and creating surgical guides.
• This technology provides a viable alternative for in-house development of patient-specific surgical guides.
• Further studies can explore clinical applications and broader adoption of this automated system.