GEOMETRICAL MODELS OF MANDIBLE FRACTURE AND PLATE IMPLANT

Abstract

In the oral and maxillofacial surgery, there is a requirement to provide the best possible treatment for the patient with mandibular fractures. This treatment presumes application of reduction and fixation techniques for proper stabilization of the fracture site. The reduction of the bone fragments and their fixation is much better performed when geometry and morphology of the bone and osteofixation elements (e.g. plates) are properly defined. In this paper, a new healthcare procedure, which enables application of personalized plate implants for the fixation of the mandibular fractures, is presented. Geometrical models of mandible and plate implants, presented in this research, were created by means of the Method of Anatomical Features (MAF), which has been already applied to the creation of accurate geometrical models of various human bones, plates and fixators. By using such geometrically and anatomically accurate models, orthopedic and maxillofacial surgeons can better perform pre-operative tasks of simulating and planning the operation, as well as an intraoperative task of implanting the personalized plate into the patient body.