Three-dimensional printing for restoration of the donor face: A new digital technique tested and used in the first facial allotransplantation patient in Finland

A A Mäkitie; M Salmi; A Lindford; J Tuomi; P Lassus

doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2016.09.021

Three-dimensional printing for restoration of the donor face: A new digital technique tested and used in the first facial allotransplantation patient in Finland

J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2016 Dec;69(12):1648-1652. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2016.09.021. Epub 2016 Oct 5.

Authors

A A Mäkitie¹, M Salmi², A Lindford³, J Tuomi², P Lassus³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland; Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Hospital, SE-17176 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: antti.makitie@helsinki.fi.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
³ Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

PMID: 27789209
DOI: 10.1016/j.bjps.2016.09.021

Abstract

Background and aims: Prosthetic mask restoration of the donor face is essential in current facial transplant protocols. The aim was to develop a new three-dimensional (3D) printing (additive manufacturing; AM) process for the production of a donor face mask that fulfilled the requirements for facial restoration after facial harvest.

Materials and methods: A digital image of a single test person's face was obtained in a standardized setting and subjected to three different image processing techniques. These data were used for the 3D modeling and printing of a donor face mask. The process was also tested in a cadaver setting and ultimately used clinically in a donor patient after facial allograft harvest.

Results: and Conclusions: All the three developed and tested techniques enabled the 3D printing of a custom-made face mask in a timely manner that is almost an exact replica of the donor patient's face. This technique was successfully used in a facial allotransplantation donor patient.

Keywords: 3D printing; 3D scanning; Additive manufacturing; Cadaver; Finland's face transplant; Rapid prototyping.

MeSH terms

Cadaver
Computer-Aided Design
Facial Transplantation / methods*
Finland
Humans
Plastic Surgery Procedures* / methods
Printing, Three-Dimensional
Reproducibility of Results
Tissue Donors
Tissue and Organ Harvesting / methods*
Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation / methods*