T raumatic injuries, congenital defects, and malignant tumors in the head and neck region often cause severe disfigurement and suffering. Aspects that profoundly affect the survival rate and quality of life include competence of the surgeon, time from diagnosis to treatment, 1 and quality of the preoperative plan. [2] [3] [4] For example, the 5-year survival rate of gingival mandibular cancer is only about 50%, highlighting the importance of optimizing the diagnostic and treatment processes. 5, 6 For reconstruction of long bone defects in the head and neck area, different microvascular free flaps with donor sites such as the iliac, humerus, Background: Virtual surgery planning has proven useful for reconstructing head and neck defects by fibula osteocutaneous free flaps (FOFF). Benefits include improved healing, function, and aesthetics, as well as cost savings. But available virtual surgery planning systems incorporating fibula in craniomaxillofacial reconstruction simulate only bone reconstruction without considering vessels and soft tissue. Methods: The Haptics-Assisted Surgery Planning (HASP) system incorporates bone, vessels, and soft tissue of the FOFF in craniomaxillofacial defect reconstruction. Two surgeons tested HASP on 4 cases they had previously operated on: 3 with composite mandibular defects and 1 with a composite cervical spine defect. With the HASP stereographics and haptic feedback, using patientspecific computed tomography angiogram data, the surgeons planned the 4 cases, including bone resection, fibula design, recipient vessels selection, pedicle and perforator location selection, and skin paddle configuration. Results: Some problems encountered during the actual surgery could have been avoided as they became evident with HASP. In one case, the fibula reconstruction was incomplete because the fibula had to be reversed and thus did not reach the temporal fossa. In another case, the fibula had to be rotated 180 degrees to correct the plate and screw placement in relation to the perforator. In the spinal case, difficulty in finding the optimal fibula shape and position required extra ischemia time. The surgeons found HASP to be an efficient planning tool for FOFF reconstructions. The testing of alternative reconstructions to arrive at an optimal FOFF solution preoperatively potentially improves patient function and aesthetics and reduces operating room time. (Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2015;3:e479;
Olsson et al. REF developed a haptics-assisted planning system that incorporates bone resection, fibula design, recipient vessel selection, pedicle and perforator location selection, and skin paddle configuration.
Haptics-assisted Virtual Planning of Bone, Soft Tissue, and Vessels in Fibula Osteocutaneous Free Flaps
Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open
Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open
Medicine