[Indications and use of stereolithographic skull reconstructions in oromaxillofacial surgery]

Stereolithography (SLA), a rapid prototyping technique, was introduced in 1991 at the Clinic for Maxillofacial Surgery in Vienna and was adapted, in cooperation with the company Laserform, for our clinical requirements. As a refinement to physical models milled out of polyurethane, which had been used since 1989, this technique offered new applications for preoperative planning in craniomaxillofacial surgery. The proportions of these 3D models correspond 1:1 to the patients dimensions, with a possible accuracy of 0.25 mm. Since 1992 stereolithography has been used in 124 cases, primarily in traumatology, tumor surgery and in craniofacial surgery.