Virtual Surgical Reduction in Atrophic Edentulous Mandible Fractures: A Novel Approach Based on “in House” Digital Work-Flow

Abstract

Atrophic edentulous mandible fractures are a challenge for maxillo-facial surgeons because of low vascularization, low bone regeneration, and lack of occlusion. Whereas occlusion is the main guide in the reduction of mandibular fractures, the aim of our study is to show the advantages of using virtual surgical planning (VSP) in surgery when the occlusal guide is absent. This work is a prospective study that shows the in-house digital workflow for the management of these fractures in the Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit of Federico II University Hospital of Naples. Four patients who satisfied the criteria were included in the study. For each patient, the same defined CAD/CAM-based was applied. The workflow followed four steps: (1) bone segmentation and virtual reduction of fracture fragments; (2) three-dimensional printing of virtually reduced mandible and modelling of 2.4 reconstruction plate on printed resin model; (3) surgery aided by the pre-formed plate; (4) digital and clinical outcomes analysis. In the last step, a distance colour map was conducted to compare the virtual planning and postoperative CT outcome. In all cases, the discrepancies values between the two images were lower than 1.5 mm, and good clinical outcomes in terms of facial symmetry, absence of sensory disturbance, and possibility of prosthetic rehabilitation were obtained. In conclusion, the VSP, with our in-house workflow brings benefits in the management of atrophic edentulous mandible fractures in terms of the high accuracy of bone repositioning.