A new three-dimensional treatment algorithm for complex surfaces: applications in surgery.
PURPOSE: Recent advances in computer technology enable automatic reconstruction of surface models using digitized contour lines and three-dimensional (3D) representation on a graphic terminal. This work was aimed at obtaining 3D reconstructions of facial bones to help guide oral surgery and complex dental implantology procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The starting point was a computed tomographic examination. The limits of the cortical bone were automatically outlined and then digitized using a special computer program. The resulting data were then compiled for computer-aided design (CAD) purposes, and a virtual 3D model of the bone was mathematically computed. This model was next transferred to a computer program that piloted a CAD/computer-aided manufacture (CAM) machine that guided a laser stereolithography process. RESULTS: The early results of the use of 3D images, as well as solid models, for clinical and surgical purposes, indicate a high degree of reliability in morphologic diagnosis, determining the surgical procedure, and establishing the subsequent prognosis.