Observation on the efficacy of application of 3D printing technique in repair surgery for the orbital blowout fracture

Abstract

Objective To observe the efficacy of application of 3D printing technique in repair surgery for orbital blowout fracture. Methods A retrospective study. The clinical data of 13 patients with orbital blowout fracture from Jul.2016 to Dec.2017 in Peking University International Hospital were analyzed. All patients received thin-slice spiral CT scanning. The data were used to three-dimensional reconstruction and obtained the model of orbital wall fracture. With mirror image repair technique, the fracture area of the affected side was reconstructed with the normal orbital wall shape of the opposite side. The model of fractured orbit and the patch of repair model with individualized shape were printed with 3D printer which was used as template to guide bioresorbable plate shaping during the surgery. The orbital fracture was repaired with the after-shaping bioresorbable plate which accorded with the anticipated anatomical shape. The efficacy of repair was observed after the surgery. Results The postoperative CT showed that the efficacy of fracture repair was satisfactory and the repair matereial fitted well with fracture area. All patients had no visual impairment after surgery. The average measurement of enophthalmometric was (0.54±0.78) mm. Among 5 cases with diplopia before surgery, 4 cases recovered completely and only 1 case had residual slight peripheral diplopia. Conclusion Application of 3D printing technique to guide and repair orbital fracture can achieve satisfactory repair effect. Key words: Fracture, orbital, blowout; Plate, absorbable, biological; Printing, 3D