The University of Sydney’s School of Aerospace, Mechanical, and Mechatronic Engineering is creating a surgical planning tool to help surgeons plan difficult jawbone repair treatments using new generation technologies.
The instrument creates a digital twin of the patient using CT scan data and advanced computer technology and decision-making algorithms. It then quickly models various implant designs before 3-D manufacturing the ultimate ideal design, allowing doctors to undertake a digital rehearsal before going into surgery.
Jawbone reconstruction, also known as orthognathic surgery, is a difficult medical treatment that involves treating a person’s jaw after substantial damage, such as a car accident or a gunshot wound, or illnesses such as mouth cancer.
The surgical planning software integrates CAD tools with elevated computer-aided modeling software and optimization algorithms to properly replicate the medical device under physiological strain.Chair of Head and Neck Cancer Reconstructive Surgery at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Professor Jonathan Clark AM, has recently teamed up with the scientists to try to translate the new technology into a clinical reality