Design of an auricular prosthesis for patients with grade III or IV microtia

Abstract

Microtia is a congenital facial deformity, which presents partial or total loss of the auricle. This deformity affects the self-esteem of the person and isolates them from society. Therefore, this work seeks to raise that self-esteem and improve the quality of life of the people who own it; providing them with an affordable prosthesis option, thanks to the three-dimensional design and the selection of suitable materials in the realization of an auricular prosthesis. The techniques used until now for this type of prosthesis are the reconstruction by autogenous tissues and the manual modeling of the prosthesis, for a posterior fixation through titanium implants. These two options require several surgeries and long recovery times. For this reason, in this work new design and manufacturing technologies are used, at the service of medicine. Including three-dimensional scanning, 3D design and modeling in CAD programs, finite element analysis, selection and optimization of biocompatible materials and rapid manufacturing through prototyping. All this together will help improve medical procedures and patients will be able to visualize their 3D prosthesis before implantation. In addition, that will mean a reduction in waiting times and in the manufacturing costs of this type of prosthesis.