The image of a skull pointed Angela Noecker toward a way to help physicians plan more complex surgery and educate patients.
While creating a skull model for plastic surgeon Risal Djohan, M.D., Noecker, a Senior Research Engineer with the Department of Biomedical Engineering’s Medical Device Innovations Group, started to mull the possibility of developing soft tissue models for certain cases. "I knew it would be a little extra work to do the soft tissue but thought it might help surgeons prepare for more precise or complex cases," she says.
Soft tissue models start just as hard tissue models do – with commercially available software, a computer and the means to manufacture a model. Noecker develops 3-D digital models from multiple computed tomography (CT) scans and then programs a stereolithography machine to create rigid models of soft tissue, such as skin and muscle, from the scans. In the case of a facial reconstruction patient, the soft tissue might be the skin and tissue around an eye socket and the upper cheek area, for example.
The rigid models, which can be built within a matter of hours, are given then to Ji-Feng Chen, Senior Principal Research Engineer in the Biomedical Engineering polymer laboratory. Chen’s lab uses the models to create molds, into which liquid silicone or polyurethane is poured. After the material solidifies, the halves of the mold are separated and surgeons have a pliable model of the patient’s head, which shows precisely the amount of soft tissue that is required prior to surgery.
The models of hard and soft tissue taken together create an exact representation of what the patient looks like. A similar set of models is created by mirroring the opposite (uninjured) side of the patient’s face to create a representation of the desired outcome. Physicians can then use the models to determine exactly what work needs to be done and what methods may not work well, without needing to test them out on the patient. The first applications of this new technique were used by Dr. Djohan and his team for facial reconstructions.
"Not only does the model help us plan our surgery, but sometimes there are choices that need to be made by the patient, or we have to explain the need for multiple operations," Dr. Djohan says. "3-D models demonstrate the procedures much better than 2-D images. Patients can understand what’s going to happen better if they have a model they can hold in their hands rather than by looking at a series of X-ray films."
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This information is provided by the Cleveland Clinic and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. This document was last reviewed on: 7/1/2006
