Individual prostheses and resection templates for mandibular resection and reconstruction

This new technique uses helical computed tomography data and computer-aided design and manufacturing for preoperative fabrication of individual mandibular prostheses together with corresponding resection templates, Coherent 3D geometries for computer-based models are the basis for the construction of prostheses and provide data for a computerized numerical control fabrication, Fixation plates are fabricated with the titanium prostheses, The identical data of these plates are used for the computer-aided design and manufacturing of resection templates, which guide an oscillating saw in a precisely determined resection plane, This plane again is identical with the prostheses) margins for mandibular body replacement, The use of this technique in four patients is reported on: after temporary insertion of the templates for resection and after resection, the prostheses were stabilized with the same screws in the same screw-holes where the templates had been, Resection and reconstruction were thus highly precise, safe and fast and primarily led to excellent aesthetic and functional results, Wound-healing depends on a safe soft-tissue reconstruction over these large prostheses, Coverage with flaps seems obligatory In spite of the superior technical aspects, the clinical long-term results of this new technique were poor.