The rehabilitation of the skull’s bones is a difficult process that poses a challenge to the surgical team. Due to the range of design methods and the availability of materials, the main concerns are the implant design and material selection. Mirror-image reconstruction is one of the widely used implant reconstruction techniques, but it is not a feasible option in asymmetrical regions. The ideal design approach and material should result in an implant outcome that is compact, easy to fit, resilient, and provides the perfect aesthetic and functional outcomes irrespective of the location. The design technique for the making of the personalized implant must be easy to use and independent of the defect’s position on the skull. As a result, this article proposes a hybrid system that incorporates computer tomography acquisition, an adaptive design (or modeling) scheme, computational analysis, and accuracy assessment. The newly developed hybrid approach aims to obtain ideal cranial implants that are unique to each patient and defect. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is chosen to fabricate the implant because it is a viable alternative to titanium implants for personalized implants, and because it is simpler to use, lighter, and sturdy enough to shield the brain. The aesthetic result or the fitting accuracy is adequate, with a maximum deviation of 0.59 mm in the outside direction. The results of the biomechanical analysis demonstrate that the maximum Von Mises stress (8.15 MPa), Von Mises strain (0.002), and deformation (0.18 mm) are all extremely low, and the factor of safety is reasonably high, highlighting the implant’s load resistance potential and safety under high loading. Moreover, the time it takes to develop an implant model for any cranial defect using the proposed modeling scheme is very fast, at around one hour. This study illustrates that the utilized 3D reconstruction method and PEEK material would minimize time-consuming alterations while also improving the implant’s fit, stability, and strength.
Implants are the most popular option for restoring the facial anatomy in the event of a mishap. The commercially available craniofacial implants are of standard shapes, which need to be tailored and shaped to accurately fit the patient’s anatomy. The manual shaping of the implant to match the bone contours is conducted during surgical operation, and is a cumbersome and inaccurate process. Recent breakthroughs in computer-aided design, analysis, and additive manufacturing (AM) have allowed the precise and rapid manufacture of bespoke scaffolds for difficult anatomical restoration. The goal of this research is to investigate the use of scaffolds for craniofacial reconstruction and their fabrication using electron-beam additive manufacturing (EBAM). Personalized cheekbone scaffolds are additively fabricated using Ti6Al4V and subjected to compression testing. Finally, the scaffold design with the highest compressive strength is subjected to biomechanical analysis. The biomechanical analysis results indicate that the maximum Von Mises stress (40 MPa) and equivalent strain (0.4 µm) are significantly low in magnitude, thus providing a desirable implant that is both flexible and stable. The custom-designed cheekbone scaffold manufactured with AM technology not only aids in bone-implant ingrowth but also helps in reducing implant weight and ensuring implant stability and long-term effectiveness.
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