The effect of steam sterilization on different 3D printable materials for surgical use in veterinary medicine

Background Different 3D-printed materials polyactic acid (PLA), polyamide (PA), polycarbonates (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and GreenTEC Pro®I have been considered for surgical templates, but there is a sparity of data about how these materials are affected by steam sterilization. The aim of the current study was to test if and how these materials change morphologically when high temperature, pressure and humidity are applied during the steam sterilization process. The overall aim is to create patient-specific sawing templates for performing corrective osteotomies. After the designing process, test-specimens with five different materials: PLA, PC, ABS, PA and GreenTEC Pro® were 3D-printed in two filling grades (30 and 100%). The FDM method was used for printing. After 3D-printing, the test-specimens were steam sterilized with a standard program lasting 20 min, at a temperature of 121 °C and a pressure of 2–3 bar. In order to measure the deviation of the printed model, we measured the individual test-specimens before and after steam sterilization using a sliding gauge. Results PC, PA and ABS showed great morphological deviations from the template after 3D-printing and steam sterilization (> 1%) respectively. ABS proved unsuitable for steam sterilization. PLA and GreenTEC Pro® demonstrated fewer morphological deviations both before and after sterilization. Therefore, we decided to perform a second test just with PLA and Green-TEC Pro® to find out which material has the highest stability and is probably able to be used for clinical application. The smallest deviations were found with the GreenTEC Pro® solid body. After autoclaving, the specimens showed a deviation from the planned body and remained below the 1% limit. Conclusion Steam sterilization causes morphological deviations in 3D printed objects. GreenTEC Pro® seems to be a suitable material for clinical use, not only for intraoperative use, but also for precise modeling. Microbiological examination, as well as biomechanical tests, should be performed to further assess whether intraoperative use is possible.

Procedure Increasing the Accuracy of Modelling and the Manufacturing of Surgical Templates with the Use of 3D Printing Techniques, Applied in Planning the Procedures of Reconstruction of the Mandible

The application of anatomical models and surgical templates in maxillofacial surgery allows, among other benefits, the increase of precision and the shortening of the operation time. Insufficiently precise anastomosis of the broken parts of the mandible may adversely affect the functioning of this organ. Applying the modern mechanical engineering methods, including computer-aided design methods (CAD), reverse engineering (RE), and rapid prototyping (RP), a procedure used to shorten the data processing time and increase the accuracy of modelling anatomical structures and the surgical templates with the use of 3D printing techniques was developed. The basis for developing and testing this procedure was the medical imaging data DICOM of patients treated at the Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic of the Fryderyk Chopin Provincial Clinical Hospital in Rzeszów. The patients were operated on because of malignant tumours of the floor of the oral cavity and the necrosis of the mandibular corpus, requiring an extensive resection of the soft tissues and resection of the mandible. Familiarity with and the implementation of the developed procedure allowed doctors to plan the operation precisely and prepare the surgical templates and tools in terms of the expected accuracy of the procedures. The models obtained based on this procedure shortened the operation time and increased the accuracy of performance, which accelerated the patient’s rehabilitation in the further course of events.

Systematic Review of Clinical Applications of CAD/CAM Technology for Craniofacial Implants Placement and Manufacturing of Nasal Prostheses

The aim of this systematic review was to gather the clinical and laboratory applications of CAD/CAM technology for preoperative planning, designing of an attachment system, and manufacturing of nasal prostheses. According to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, an electronic search was carried out. Only human clinical studies involving digital planning for the rehabilitation of facial defects were included. A total of 21 studies were included with 23 patients, which were virtually planned through different planning software. The most common preoperative data for digital planning were CT scans in nine cases, CBCT in six cases, and laser scans in six cases. The reported planning softwares were Mimics in six cases, Geomagic Studio software in six cases, ZBrush in four cases, and Freeform plus software in four cases. Ten surgical templates were designed and printed to place 36 implants after digital planning, while post-operative assessment was done in two cases to check the accuracy of planned implants. Digital 3D planning software was reported for presurgical planning and craniofacial implants placement, fabrication of molds, designing of implants, designing of retentive attachments, and printing of silicone prostheses. Digital technology has been claimed to reduce the clinical and laboratory time; however, the equipment cost is still one of the limitations.

Improved access in minimally invasive temporomandibular joint surgery through a novel endaural template

Background Digitally designed surgical templates for minimally invasive temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery (MITMJS) are a promising tool for improving the safety of these procedures. Given the TMJ anatomy, the template fitting and intraoperative overview are the most important issues for a safe surgery. This article is a technical advance article that aims to describe an endaural surgical template based on the Moses approach as a possible solution in TMJ surgery. Methods Three patients with internal derangement were treated with the guidance of a MITMJS template based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and a surface imprint of the periauricular region. None of the patients needed an additional open surgical procedure. Fitting of the templates was judged in terms of position and rotational stability. Surgical side effects and complications were recorded for each patient. Results The template design and clinical use were satisfactory for MITMJS. The templates showed satisfying fit and good visibility. In the study cohort, no bleeding, facial nerve injury, or other complications occurred after the procedure, and no visible scars were noted postoperatively. Conclusion Our feasibility report on template-guided MITMJS shows a promising new application of templates. It points to improved access in arthroscopy or arthrocentesis of TMJ surgery through endaural access with an increased level of safety during surgery.

Improved access in minimally invasive temporomandibular joint surgery through a novel endaural template.

BackgroundDigitally designed surgical templates for minimally invasive temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery (MITMJS) are a promising tool for improving the safety of these procedures. Given the TMJ anatomy, the template fitting and intraoperative overview are the most important issues for a safe surgery. This article is a technical advance article that aims to describe an endaural surgical template based on the Moses approach as a possible solution in TMJ surgery.Methods:Three patients with internal derangement were treated with the guidance of a MITMJS template based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and a surface imprint of the periauricular region. None of the patients needed an additional open surgical procedure. Fitting of the templates was judged in terms of position and rotational stability. Surgical side effects and complications were recorded for each patient.Results:The template design and clinical use were satisfactory for MITMJS. The templates showed satisfying fit and good visibility. In the study cohort, no bleeding, facial nerve injury, or other complications occurred after the procedure, and no visible scars were noted postoperatively.Conclusion:Our feasibility report on template-guided MITMJS shows a promising new application of templates. It points to improved access in arthroscopy or arthrocentesis of TMJ surgery through endaural access with an increased level of safety during surgery.

Accuracy of Full-Guided and Half-Guided Surgical Templates in Anterior Immediate and Delayed Implantation: A Retrospective Study

Computer-aided implantology has developed rapidly in recent years, this study aimed to compare the accuracy of guided-surgery between anterior immediate and delayed implantation, and simultaneously assess the effect of full-guided and half-guided templates on accuracy values. Seventy-six implants were inserted in 63 patients using full-guided or half-guided template in the anterior zone. Postoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was matched with preoperative planning to evaluate the deviation between actual and planned implants. No statistical difference was found in any deviation between immediate and delayed implantation (p > 0.05). In anterior immediate implantation, the global coronal, apical, depth and angular deviations of full-guided templates were all significantly lower than those of half-guided templates (0.66 ± 0.26 vs. 1.10 ± 0.76 mm, 0.96 ± 0.41 vs. 1.43 ± 0.70 mm, 0.46 ± 0.24 mm vs. 0.93 ± 0.79 mm and 1.69° ± 0.94° vs. 2.57° ± 1.57°). While in delayed implantation, full-guided templates only perform better with statistical significance on global apical and depth deviation (1.01 ± 0.42 vs. 1.51 ± 0.55 mm and 0.32 ± 0.26 vs. 0.71 ± 0.47 mm). After excluding the influence of depth deviation, the coronal and apical deviations between the two systems in immediate implantation and the apical deviations in delayed implantation had no statistical difference. Within the limit of this study, the results suggested the accuracy of guided-surgeries for anterior immediate and delayed implantations was comparable, and full-guided template was more accurate for immediate and delayed implantation.

Improved Access in Minimally Invasive Temporomandibular Joint Surgery via a Novel Endaural Template

Background:Digitally designed surgical templates for minimally invasive temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery (MITMJS) are a promising tool for improving the safety in these procedures. Given the anatomy of the TMJ, the fitting of the template and intraoperative overview are the most important issues to conduct the surgery safely. This article describes an endaural surgical template based on the Moses approach as a possible solution.Methods:Three patients with internal derangement were treated with guidance of a MITMJS- template based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and a surface imprint of the periauraural region. None of the patients needed an additional open surgical procedure. Fitting of the templates was judged in terms of position and rotational stability. Surgical side effects and complications were recorded for each patient.Results:The template design and clinical use performed the MITMJS satisfactory. The templates showed satisfying fit and good visibility. In the study cohort, no bleeding, facial nerve injury, or other complications occurred after the procedure, and no visible scars were noted postoperatively.Conclusion:Our feasibility report on template-guided MITMJS shows a promising new application of templates. It points an improved access in arthroscopy or arthrocentesis of TMJ- surgery via an endaural access with increased level of safety during surgery.