Craniofacial imaging, models and prostheses

Patients with vast bony defects that cannot be accommodated by bone transplantation or traditionally manufactured prosthetic devices can be treated using custom designed prostheses based on solid, life-size models of the patient's bone in the region of the defect. This paper presents four cases where prosthetic devices have been designed using models, and discusses the CT data collection, imaging techniques and the construction of the life-size cranio-facial models. The model production techniques range from hand cutting to laser sintering. It is onto these models that titanium implant substructures can be fabricated for the prosthetic restoration of the patient.