Rapid prototyping for preoperative planning of fibula free flap in mandible reconstruction

Abstract

The most frequent cause of defect in the mandible is tumor-related surgery. Larger defects cause severe morbidity due to disturbances in function and esthetics. A fibular free flap is one way of filling a bony hole in either the upper or lower jaw. In this study, a new method combining preoperative planning and rapid prototyping for mandible fibula free flap reconstruction after preoperative planning was made based on Mimics software simulating surgery on a workstation. The preparatory work of surgery is divided into two parts: software simulation and model building. During software simulation the authors were able to choose the best site for the osteotomy regarding circulation and the model building can increase the precision and speed of treatment. A description of our surgical approach is presented and is supplemented by an illustrative case. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.