Davide Mattavelli, Vincenzo Verzeletti, Alberto Deganello, Antonio Fiorentino, Tommaso Gualtieri, Marco Ferrari, Stefano Taboni, William Anfuso, Marco Ravanelli, Vittorio Rampinelli, Alberto Grammatica, Barbara Buffoli, Roberto Maroldi, Ceretti Elisabetta, Rita Rezzani, Piero Nicolai, Cesare Piazza
PURPOSE: To investigate the potential reconstruction of complex maxillofacial defects using computer-aided design 3D-printed polymeric scaffolds by defining the production process, simulating the surgical procedure, and explore the feasibility and reproducibility of the whole algorithm. METHODS: This a preclinical study to investigate feasibility, reproducibility and efficacy of the reconstruction algorithm proposed. It encompassed 3 phases: (1) scaffold production (CAD and 3D-printing in polylactic acid); (2) surgical simulation on cadaver heads (navigation-guided osteotomies and scaffold fixation); (3) assessment of reconstruction (bone and occlusal morphological conformance, symmetry, and mechanical stress tests)...
January 3, 2024: European Archives of Oto-rhino-laryngology