Using 3D Printing and Mirror Image Modeling in Orbital Floor Reconstruction

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) modeling and printing technologies are increasingly utilized as tools to assist in complex craniofacial reconstructions. Herein, the authors report the intraoperative use of sterilized 3D models printed in-house to mold a custom resorbable implant in the case of a pediatric patient with a unilateral complex orbital fracture. The imaging was processed with open-source software. Two patient-specific orbital models were 3D-printed (Fig. 2): a life-size print of the patient's preoperative CT scan and a left orbit reconstructed to resemble its uninjured state using mirrored-imaging of the uninjured side. This construct ultimately served as a sterilized template to mold a resorbable implant intraoperatively. Post-operatively, the patient experienced no complications. At the 18-month follow-up, the patient had done well without diplopia, headaches or visual problems. The authors report a case of a successful orbit reconstruction assisted by mirrored-image computer modeling and patient-specific 3D printing.