Search

Background: Three-dimensional facial scan technologies, such as stereophotogrammetry, are frequently used in oral and maxillofacial surgery, dentistry, and plastic surgery to assess patient outcomes and plan surgical procedures. Most facial scanners rely on stationary clinical systems, which provide high accuracy and reliability in generating 3D representations of the human face; however, they are cost-intensive and immobile. Recently, smartphone-based facial scan applications that use stereophotogrammetry have been developed. These applications are cost-effective and more accessible than existing stationary systems. Methods: In this study, we compared the accuracy of three different smartphone applications—EM3D, Polycam, and ScandyPro—on an iPhone 14 Pro, which utilizes Apple's LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, to a stationary system by 3DMD, which is considered a gold standard in many studies. Results: The applications included in the study have demonstrated the capability to perform accurately in clinical settings, with mean surface distances of 1.46 mm for EM3D, 1.66 mm for Polycam, and 1.61 mm for ScandyPro. Conclusions: These results suggest that smartphone-based facial scan systems could be a viable alternative, particularly in resource-limited settings. However, further research and collaboration between academia and industry are necessary to fully integrate these technologies into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the rise of new 3D printers, assessing accuracy is crucial for obtaining the best results in patient care. Previous studies have shown that the highest accuracy is achieved with SLS printing technology; however, SLA printing technology has made significant improvements in recent years. Methods: In this study, a realistic anatomical model of a mandible and skull, a cutting guide for mandibular osteotomy, and a splint for orthognathic surgery were replicated five times each using two different 3D printing technologies: SLA and SLS. Results: The SLA group had a median trueness RMS value of 0.148 mm and a precision RMS value of 0.117 mm. The SLS group had a median trueness RMS value of 0.144 mm and a precision RMS value of 0.096 mm. There was no statistically significant difference in RMS values between SLS and SLA technologies regarding trueness. Regarding precision, however, the RMS values for SLS technology were significantly lower in the splint and cutting guide applications than those printed with SLA technology. Conclusions: Both 3D printing technologies produce modern models and applications with equally high dimensional accuracy. Considering current cost pressures experienced by hospitals, the lower-cost SLA 3D printer is a reliable choice for point-of-care 3D printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) has transitioned from a rare condition in 1817 to the fastest-growing neurological disorder globally. The significant increase in cases from 2.5 million in 1990 to 6.1 million in 2016, coupled with predictions of a further doubling by 2040, underscores an impending healthcare challenge. This escalation aligns with global demographic shifts, including rising life expectancy and a growing global population. The economic impact, notably in the U.S., reached $51.9 billion in 2017, with projections suggesting a 46% increase by 2037, emphasizing the substantial socio-economic implications for both patients and caregivers. Coupled with a worldwide demand for health workers that is expected to rise to 80 million by 2030, we have fertile ground for a pandemic. Methods: Our transdisciplinary research focused on early PD detection through running speech and continuous handwriting analysis, incorporating medical, biomedical engineering, AI, and linguistic expertise. The cohort comprised 30 participants, including 20 PD patients at stages 1–4 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale and 10 healthy controls. We employed advanced AI techniques to analyze correlation plots generated from speech and handwriting features, aiming to identify prodromal PD biomarkers. Results: The study revealed distinct speech and handwriting patterns in PD patients compared to controls. Our ParkinsonNet model demonstrated high predictive accuracy, with F1 scores of 95.74% for speech and 96.72% for handwriting analyses. These findings highlight the potential of speech and handwriting as effective early biomarkers for PD. Conclusions: The integration of AI as a decision support system in analyzing speech and handwriting presents a promising approach for early PD detection. This methodology not only offers a novel diagnostic tool but also contributes to the broader understanding of PD's early manifestations. Further research is required to validate these findings in larger, diverse cohorts and to integrate these tools into clinical practice for timely PD pre-diagnosis and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report a digital workflow for use and long-term outcome of cranioplasty with a 3D-printed patient-specific Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implant in a 12-y-old German Shepherd dog after surgical removal of an extensive occipital bone multilobular osteochondrosarcoma (MLO). Study design: Retrospective case report. Animal: A 12-year-old neutered Female German Shepherd dog was presented with facial deformity, blindness, tetraparesis, and ataxia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) identified a large skull-based mass extending extra-and intracranially with severe compression of the cerebellum and occipital lobes of the cerebrum. Methods: One-stage decompressive craniectomy using virtual surgical planned 3D-printed craniotomy cutting guides and the Misonix BoneScalpel® and reconstruction with a patient-specific 3D-printed PEEK cranial implant. Results: 3D-printed craniectomy cutting guides allowed an adequate fit of the cranial implant to the original skull. Misonix BoneScalpel® allowed performing a safe and extensive craniectomy. Postoperative CT (8  weeks after surgery) confirmed the PEEK cranial implant to be in place and without implant rejection. Clinically, the neurological examination identified only a right-hind limb delay in proprioception 8  weeks postoperatively, which remained unchanged at 18  months after surgery. Adjunctive treatment included metronomic chemotherapy. Eighteen months after surgery the dog passed away for reasons unrelated to the MLO, no implant-related complications were reported. Conclusion: 3D-printed craniectomy cutting guides, patient-specific PEEK cranial implant, and metronomic chemotherapy can lead to a successful longterm outcome in dogs with extensive skull MLO. Clinical significance: PEEK is an alternative biomaterial that can be used successfully for skull reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objective: With the rapid advancement in surgical technologies, new workflows for mandibular reconstruction are constantly being evaluated. Cutting guides are extensively employed for defining osteotomy planes but are prone to errors during fabrication and positioning. A virtually defined osteotomy plane and drilling holes in robotic surgery minimize potential sources of error and yield highly accurate outcomes. Methods: Ten mandibular replicas were evaluated after cutting-guided saw osteotomy and robot-guided laser osteotomy following reconstruction with patient-specific implants. The descriptive data analysis summarizes the mean, standard deviation (SD), median, minimum, maximum, and root mean square (RMS) values of the surface comparison for 3D printed models regarding trueness and precision. Results: The saw group had a median trueness RMS value of 2.0 mm (SD ± 1.7) and a precision of 1.6 mm (SD ± 1.4). The laser group had a median trueness RMS value of 1.2 mm (SD ± 1.1) and an equal precision of 1.6 mm (SD ± 1.4). These results indicate that robot-guided laser osteotomies have a comparable accuracy to cutting-guided saw osteotomies, even though there was a lack of statistical significance. Conclusions: Despite the limited sample size, this digital high-tech procedure has been shown to be potentially equivalent to the conventional osteotomy method. Robotic surgery and laser osteotomy offers enormous advantages, as they enable the seamless integration of precise virtual preoperative planning and exact execution in the human body, eliminating the need for surgical guides in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]