The Journal of craniofacial surgery
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This article reports a three-dimensional (3D) digital color scanning system used in the measurement of facial soft tissue expansion. This system consists of digital scanning equipment, software for stereolithographical (STL) forms and nonuniform rational B-spline (NURBS) surfaces, and a computer-aided design program. Accurate data for the area of scar excision and the expanded cervicofacial flap were obtained by using this measuring system in a young patient with scar contracture of the face. This technique can accurately model the reconstruction and make plastic surgery planning a truly interactive procedure.
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Case Reports
Craniofacial reconstruction with computer-generated HTR patient-matched implants: use in primary bony tumor excision.
The aim of this clinical series is to report the effectiveness and safety of using computer-generated alloplastic hard tissue replacement (HTR) implants for the reconstruction of large defects of the cranio-orbital region when combined with simultaneous bone tumor excision. Seven patients who had large nonmalignant bony lesions of the anterior cranial vault and orbit underwent simultaneous bony excision and reconstruction with preoperatively fabricated custom alloplastic implants. Preoperatively, a 3D computed tomography (CT) scan was obtained from which an anatomical model was fabricated. ⋯ In all cases, excellent contours have been maintained and all patients have remained infection-free. In the management of large benign bony tumors of the cranio-orbital region, simultaneous reconstruction with custom implants fabricated from porous, hydrophilic HTR polymer can be preoperatively fabricated based on an estimate of the subsequent bony defect. The successful use of this approach depends on a favorable tissue quality of the recipient site, a generous preoperative estimate of the amount of bone that will be resected so that the implant is adequate, intraoperative techniques of expanding the implant reconstruction, and intraoperative methods to assure a partitioning of the implant from the frontal sinus.