Computer Surgical Simulation for Craniofacial Surgery

DESCRIPTION: The field of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgery involves the correction of congenital and acquired deformities of the skull and face. Due to the complex nature of the craniofacial skeleton, this type of surgery usually requires extensive pre-surgical planning. In the United States each year, a significant number of patients undergo reconstruction for these types of operations. Traditional surgical planning methods for this type of the surgery involve a physical examination, plain radiographs (cephalometric radiographs), plaster Dental models, three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) scans, and occasionally CT-based 3D physical models. Unfortunately, these methods are often not adequate for planning complex craniomaxillofacial deformities. Over the last six years, our Surgical Planning Laboratory has developed a prototype for computer-assisted surgical simulation (CASS) system. Although the accuracy of our CASS system has been tested in vitro, it has not been tested in vivo. Therefore, the Specific Aim of this Phase I application will be to determine the clinical feasibility of using the investigators' computer-assisted surgical simulation system. In Phase II, the investigators plan to develop a user-friendly software package that will allow surgeons to plan complex craniomaxillofacial surgeries. The final goal of this project (Phase III) is to take this product to the market.