Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound has significantly improved prenatal screening and perinatal care in the area of cleft lip/palate and other deformities, providing essential preoperative information to the surgical team. However, current 3D reconstruction modalities are limited primarily to display on a two-dimensional surface. In contrast, a 3D printed haptic model allows both the surgeon and the parents to develop a better understanding of the anatomy and the surgical procedure through the ability to interact directly with the printed model. The production of a 3D printed haptic model of cleft lip and palate obtained from a surface-rendered oropalatal sonographic view is presented here. The development of this 3D printed haptic model will allow the surgical team to perform preoperative planning with a highly accurate medical model, and it therefore represents a new tool in the management of cleft lip/palate. It also provides better prenatal information for the parents.
Keywords: cleft lip/palate; craniofacial abnormalities; printing; three-dimensional; ultrasonography.
Copyright © 2017 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.