Application of Rapid Prototyping for Temporomandibular Joint Reconstruction

摘要

Purpose: To introduce the preliminary application of rapid prototyping (RP) for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery. Materials and Methods: This study included 11 consecutive patients (13 joints) seeking TMJ replacement. All patients had previously undergone 3dimensionaI computed tomography (CT) scanning (0.625mm slice thickness) of the craniofacial skeleton. The data from CT scanning in DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) format were input into the interactive Simplant CMF software program (Materialise Medical, Leuven, Belgium). Preoperative planning included segmentation and osteotomies. The movements of the jaw bones were simulated by use of Simplant CMF. The affected mandible was reconstructed based on the contralateral side. Then, the titanium plate was shaped on the reconstructed model before surgery. The bone graft was transplanted by the shaped titanium plate during the operation to reconstruct the TMJ. Twenty-four patients who underwent traditional surgery were used as the control group. The operative time of the 2 groups was analyzed with the SPSS software package, version 130 (SPSS, Chicago, IL), with the Student t test. The data from CT scanning in the experimental group before and after surgery were compared by paired t test.