Orbit in a Box: A Simplified Technique for Patient-Specific Virtually Planned Orbital Floor Reconstruction.

PURPOSE: Possibilities for the reconstruction of orbital floor fractures have been extensive for years with regard to materials, methods and differential indications and are inconsistent worldwide. With the spread of CAD/CAM techniques, new and mostly time-consuming possibilities for orbital floor reconstructions have been added.

METHODS

The simple and time-efficient CT-to-patient-specific implant workflow presented here shows that a "form-box" can be created from a patient's computer tomography data set using planning software and a 3D printer. The box is then used to form a patient-specific implant for orbital floor reconstruction: here polydioxanone foil was used, for which stable thermoplastic deformability has been demonstrated for 3D reconstructions.

RESULTS

Patient-specific thermoplastic shaping of polydioxanone is feasible in a theoretical clinical setting, though its thermoplastic shaping is not yet certified for clinical use. However, a flexible adaptation of the "form-box" design to other materials is possible by setting a single planning parameter.

CONCLUSIONS

The simple structure of the box and its straightforward planning/fabrication process with widely available low-cost materials offer the possibility that a surgeon without a 3D specialist can produce a "form-box" for next day surgery if needed.