Integration of laser surface digitizing with CAD/CAM techniques for developing facial prostheses. Part 1: Design and fabrication of prosthesis replicas.

PURPOSE: This article presents a novel manufacturing approach that integrates laser surface digitizing/scanning and computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM) to achieve automated fabrication of spatially and anatomically accurate extraoral facial prostheses.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Topologic data of the patient's face, including the site of deformity and the anatomy of a healthy "donor" organ, were acquired using laser surface digitizing. Two different CAD data manipulation techniques were developed to alleviate problems encountered in laser-digitized data sets. To reduce patient involvement, fitting of the prosthesis was conducted using a computer model of the patient's face. Once finalized, rapid prototyping techniques were employed to fabricate a master pattern to cast the final prosthesis.

RESULTS

Three case studies involving different facial prostheses were conducted to evaluate the integrated manufacturing system. The results demonstrated the many advantages of the system for facial prosthesis production.

CONCLUSION

With the new manufacturing approach, reduced patient discomfort, minimal dependence on the artistic skills of the prosthetist, and short turnaround times for prosthesis production can be expected.