ABSTRACT
The use of three-dimensional (3D) printing has been growing significantly in medicine for the past 10 years, especially in maxillofacial surgery. A lot a different softwares and printers are available on the market, and it can be difficult to choose which one fits best one's needs. In the authors' institution, the authors regularly print orbits to prepare the reconstruction. The authors then compared the 3D printing of an orbital fracture between a professional and nonprofessional software and between a bottom of the range and a more elaborated printer. The results show that there is a wide variation between the quality of the printing, as well as the time used for the preparation. Costs between free or professional software must also be considered. In conclusion, an analysis of needs and what is available on the market must be studied before investing in 3D printing.
Subject(s)
Orbital Fractures/surgery , Printing, Three-Dimensional/standards , Software/standards , Costs and Cost Analysis , Humans , Orbit/injuries , Orbit/surgery , Printing, Three-Dimensional/economics , Software/economicsABSTRACT
Surgical management of mandibular condyle fractures is still controversial. Although it provides better outcome than closed treatment questions still remain about the surgical approach and the osteosynthesis devices to be used. Between 2005 and 2010, we managed 168 mandibular condyle fractures with open treatment. Two surgical approaches were used in this study, a pre-auricular and a high submandibular approach (one or the other or as a combined approach). Internal fixation was performed using TCP(®) plates (Medartis, Basel, Switzerland) or with two lag screws (15 and 17 mm). Delta plates were used in 15 cases (8.9%). We report the epidemiology of these fractures and the outcomes of the surgical treatment. We assessed the complications related to the surgical procedure and those related to the osteosynthesis material. The facial nerve related complication rate was very low and the osteosynthesis materials used proved to be strong enough to realize a stable fixation. The two approaches used in this study appeared to be safe with good aesthetic results. Most of the surgical procedure failures occurred in high subcondylar fractures especially when bilateral.
