Doctor/Hospital: Mahatma Gandhi Mission (MGM), Navi Mumbai
Technology: Blender, FDM, Segmentation, Virtual surgical planning, Bone model, 3D printng
Date: 06/11/2023
Case Presentation:
The patient presented with a severe fracture involving the left zygoma and right forehead region as a result of trauma. The attending surgeon deemed it necessary to acquire a three-dimensional (3D) model of the corrected skull in order to facilitate surgical planning and determine the appropriate plates and implants for the upcoming procedure.
Challenges Faced:
The fracture spanned across the entire facial region, thereby posing difficulties in achieving a mirrored reconstruction. Specifically, mirroring the correct regions of the zygoma from the right side to the left side and the forehead from the right side to the left side proved to be problematic using conventional methods.
Solution/Approach:
To overcome the aforementioned challenge, the patient's data was subjected to segmentation using 3D Silcer software. Subsequently, the resulting 3D model was exported as a mesh file for further processing. This mesh file, representing the skull, was then imported into Blender software.
Using a cutting plane, the face was divided into four distinct regions. The appropriate side of the bone for both the zygoma and forehead region was mirrored accurately. The resulting mesh was then meticulously sculpted, ensuring that the original contours of the face were maintained throughout the reconstruction process.
Finally, the original segmented model was compared with the resulting reconstructed skull to assess the accuracy and fidelity of the reconstruction.
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