Fronto-orbital advancement with patient-specific 3D-printed implants and robot-guided laser osteotomy: an in vitro accuracy assessment

Purpose: The use of computer-assisted virtual surgical planning (VSP) for craniosynostosis surgery is gaining increasing implementation in the clinics. However, accurately transferring the preoperative planning data to the operating room remains challenging. We introduced and investigated a fully digital workflow to perform fronto-orbital advancement (FOA) surgery using 3D-printed patient-specific implants (PSIs) and cold-ablation robot-guided laser osteotomy. This novel approach eliminates the need for traditional surgical templates while enhancing precision and customization, offering a more streamlined and efficient surgical process. Methods: Computed tomography data of a patient with craniosynostosis were used to digitally reconstruct the skull and to perform VSP of the FOA. In total, six PSIs per skull were 3D-printed with a medical-grade bioresorbable composite using the Arburg Plastic Freeforming technology. The planned osteotomy paths and the screw holes, including their positions and axis angles, were digitally transferred to the cold-ablation robot-guided osteotome interface. The osteotomies were performed on 3D-printed patient skull models. The implants, osteotomy and final FOA results were scanned and compared to the VSP data. Results: The osteotomy deviations for the skulls indicated an overall maximum distance of 1.7 mm, a median deviation of 0.44 mm, and a maximum root mean square (RMS) error of 0.67 mm. The deviation of the point-to-point surface comparison of the FOA with the VSP data resulted in a median accuracy of 1.27 mm. Accessing the orbital cavity with the laser remained challenging. Conclusion: This in vitro study showcases a novel FOA technique by effectively combining robot-guided laser osteotomy with 3D-printed patient-specific implants, eliminating the need for surgical templates and achieving high accuracy in bone cutting and positioning. The workflow holds promise for reducing preoperative planning time and increasing surgical efficiency. Further studies on bone tissue are required to validate the safety and effectiveness of this approach, especially in addressing the challenges of pediatric craniofacial surgery.

Keywords

Computer-aided design, Craniosynostosis, Laser osteotome, Patient-specific implants, Pediatrics, Robot-assisted surgery

Subject (DDC)

600 - Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften

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Date of the last check

ISBN

ISSN

1861-6429
1861-6410

Language

English

Created during FHNW affiliation

Yes

Strategic action fields FHNW

Future Health

Publication status

Published

Review

Peer review of the complete publication

Open access category

Hybrid

License

Citation

Maintz, M., Desan, N., Sharma, N., Beinemann, J., Beyer, M., Seiler, D., Honigmann, P., Soleman, J., Guzman, R., Cattin, P. C., & Thieringer, F. M. (2024). Fronto-orbital advancement with patient-specific 3D-printed implants and robot-guided laser osteotomy: an in vitro accuracy assessment. International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, 20(3), 513–524. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-024-03298-6

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