3D printing for surgical planning in bone grafts for cleft-palate: a case report

Abstract

3D printing has been used for teaching purposes. Creating models for simulating surgeries. Gong et al presented a workflow for digital planning for surgery and Rendon et al previously presented a low-cost method with acceptable precision. This paper aims to present a case where 3D printing surgical planning was applied for bone graft shape and dimensions. A 16-year-old female patient with a history of bilateral cleft lip and palate has received 6 surgical interventions to treat her congenital pathology. She begins orthodontic management at the age of 6 years and is referred to the plastic surgery service 10 years later, presenting oral and nasal fistula on the nasal floor with mainly liquid leakage. A bone graft was taken and applied from the patient's left iliac crest. the iliac crest is taken and the bone graft is molded Assisted with 3D printed model which is fixed in the premaxilla with a 14-hole linear plate. We proposed a new application for low-cost 3D printed models. Patient specific models have applications in cleft palate bone grafting. We present a case and more studies are required to measure variables as time, graft integration, and patient satisfaction.