Role of Three-Dimensional Printing in Treatment Planning for Orthognathic Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing refers to a wide range of additive manufacturing processes that enable the construction of structures and models. It has been rapidly adopted for a variety of surgical applications, including the printing of patient-specific anatomical models, implants and prostheses, external fixators and splints, as well as surgical instrumentation and cutting guides. In comparison to traditional methods, 3D-printed models and surgical guides offer a deeper understanding of intricate maxillofacial structures and spatial relationships. This review article examines the utilization of 3D printing in orthognathic surgery, particularly in the context of treatment planning. It discusses how 3D printing has revolutionized this sector by providing enhanced visualization, precise surgical planning, reduction in operating time, and improved patient communication. Various databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Medline, were searched with relevant keywords. A total of 410 articles were retrieved, of which 71 were included in this study. This article concludes that the utilization of 3D printing in the treatment planning of orthognathic surgery offers a wide range of advantages, such as increased patient satisfaction and improved functional and aesthetic outcomes.

Preoperative Risk Factors for Fibrosarcomatous Transformation in Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Dermat of ibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a soft-tissue sarcoma with a high risk of local recurrence, though typically never metastasizes. DFSP can transform into high-grade fibrosarcoma (DFSP-FS), which has a risk of metastasis. Currently, treatment for DFSP includes Moh's micrographic surgery (MMS); however, this is not recommended for DFSP-FS. Often, the transformation to DFSP-FS is not recognized until the final histological diagnosis. At that point, wide local excision (WLE) of a previous MMS site can be morbid. As such, we analyzed patient risk factors to allow identification of DFSP-FS transformation at presentation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed 368 (174 female, 194 male) patients with a mean age of 42 years from two sarcoma centers. A total of 319 (87%) patients had a history of DFSP and 49 (13%) had DFSP-FS. RESULTS: When comparing patients with a DFSP to those with a DFSP-FS, patients with a DFSP-FS were more likely (p<0.05) to be older, female and with larger tumors. A painful mass and rapidly enlarging mass were associated with DFSP-FS. CONCLUSION: Patients who presented with DFSP-FS were found to typically have a larger, painful, and growing mass. Patients with these features should be referred for WLE over MMS at presentation.

A degradation fragment of type X collagen is a real-time marker for bone growth velocity.

Despite its importance as a key parameter of child health and development, growth velocity is difficult to determine in real time because skeletal growth is slow and clinical tools to accurately detect very small increments of growth do not exist. We report discovery of a marker for skeletal growth in infants and children. The intact trimeric noncollagenous 1 (NC1) domain of type X collagen, the marker we designated as CXM for Collagen X Marker, is a degradation by-product of endochondral ossification that is released into the circulation in proportion to overall growth plate activity. This marker corresponds to the rate of linear bone growth at time of measurement. Serum concentrations of CXM plotted against age show a pattern similar to well-established height growth velocity curves and correlate with height growth velocity calculated from incremental height measurements in this study. The CXM marker is stable once collected and can be accurately assayed in serum, plasma, and dried blood spots. CXM testing may be useful for monitoring growth in the pediatric population, especially responses of infants and children with genetic and acquired growth disorders to interventions that target the underlying growth disturbances. The utility of CXM may potentially extend to managing other conditions such as fracture healing, scoliosis, arthritis, or cancer.

Tissue engineering strategies for promoting vascularized bone regeneration.

This review focuses on current tissue engineering strategies for promoting vascularized bone regeneration. We review the role of angiogenic growth factors in promoting vascularized bone regeneration and discuss the different therapeutic strategies for controlled/sustained growth factor delivery. Next, we address the therapeutic uses of stem cells in vascularized bone regeneration. Specifically, this review addresses the concept of co-culture using osteogenic and vasculogenic stem cells, and how adipose derived stem cells compare to bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells in the promotion of angiogenesis. We conclude this review with a discussion of a novel approach to bone regeneration through a cartilage intermediate, and discuss why it has the potential to be more effective than traditional bone grafting methods.