Dr. Jung-whan Baek (H Plastic Surgery)
Application in plastic surgery: Zygoma reconstruction I
In this article, we will go over various cases of traumatic zygoma deformities and post-reduction zygoma deformities reconstructed with 3D Fit face sculpting.
The purpose of zygoma reconstruction is to recover and normalize the defect of the zygomatic bone. It would be ideal to minimize the use of implant and maximize the use of the natural bone tissues. The textbook technique uses autologous bone graft. This technique has various problems including the donor site complications and bone resorption in the recipient site, making proper reconstruction difficult. Moreover, it is also difficult to design a customized 3D implant with this technique.
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To complement such flaws, it is ideal to recover the bone defect using an customized 3D implant fabricated from autologous bone, synthetic bone substitutes, or biocompatible materials. However, autologous bone or synthetic bone materials have inconsistent absorption and integration. And most turn fragile and brittle with time.
Therefore, there is a need for a new material with predictable and reliable osseointegration and the ability to maintain the bone properties and hardness. The implant material should also be 3D printable.
I would like to review the cases of zygoma reconstructive surgery using currently available techniques and materials and discuss the potential and limitations of 3D printing technology used in this regard.
-To be continued
