In-house 3D-printed surgical guides for osseous lesions of the lower jaw: an experimental study

Abstract

Abstract Background The accuracy of computer-assisted biopsies at the lower jaw was compared to the accuracy of freehand biopsies. Methods Patients with a bony lesion of the lower jaw with an indication for biopsy were prospectively enrolled. Two customized bone models per patient were produced using a 3D printer. The models of the lower jaw were fitted into a phantom head model to simulate operation room conditions. Biopsies for the study group were taken by means of surgical guides and freehand biopsies were performed for the control group. Results The deviation of the biopsy axes from the planning was significantly less when using templates. It turned out to be 1.3 ± 0.6 mm for the biopsies with a surgical guide and 3.9 ± 1.1 mm for the freehand biopsies. Conclusions Surgical guides allow significantly higher accuracy of biopsies. The preliminary results are promising, but clinical evaluation is necessary.

Keywords

• 3D-printed surgical guide
• Computer-assisted surgery
• Computer-guided surgery
• Stereolithography
• Biopsy
• 3D-printed bone model