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CASE REPORT article

Front. Surg.
Sec. Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2024.1425905
This article is part of the Research Topic Personalized Surgery of the Face View all 5 articles

Facial fracture sequelae: The importance of using a specific customized implant (PSI) for orbital reconstruction

Provisionally accepted
Bianca Pulino Bianca Pulino 1,2Leonardo A. Fonseca Leonardo A. Fonseca 1Eduardo H. Vieira Eduardo H. Vieira 2,3José Roberto Piteri Filho José Roberto Piteri Filho 1Thiago F. Mâcedo Thiago F. Mâcedo 1Marcelo P. D'Amado Marcelo P. D'Amado 1Rodrigo Pereira Rodrigo Pereira 4Igor A. Santos Igor A. Santos 5Robert Ilesan Robert Ilesan 6Henrique C. Moreira Henrique C. Moreira 7Drielli Viana Drielli Viana 8Raphael C. Guerra Raphael C. Guerra 1,2*
  • 1 Hospital Sirio Libanes, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 2 Hospital Leforte, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 3 São Paulo State University, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 4 Universidade Unigranrio, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • 5 Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
  • 6 University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland
  • 7 Hospital Municipal Dr Arthur Ribeiro Saboya, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
  • 8 Universidade Nove de Julho, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The reconstruction of orbital fracture sequelae is a major challenge due to concerns regarding surgical approach and implant stability. Few anatomical sites of such minute size have presented with as much variation in treatment as the orbital floor fractures and related sequelae. Our patient developed sequelae of an orbital fracture over the last 3 years, presenting with dystopia, ophthalmoplegia, and diplopia in the supra-and lateroversion and aesthetic impairment. The variety of implant materials for reconstruction after orbital fractures is extensive, and the decision as to which material to use continues to be debated.The continuing development of computer-aided diagnosis and management and the construction of stereolithographic models offer comparable reproduction of anatomical detail. This technology is described in relation to the planning of trauma surgery and sequelae and the planning of ablative surgery for malignant neoplasms of the head and neck.(1)The use of specific 3D printed titanium implants for bone defects was first reported in cranial reconstruction in 2012, and several studies have reported their use in orbital fractures. The advantages of this implant were increased stiffness, preventing shape loss during placement, a precise fit, and decreased surgical time.(2) However, in the existing literature, the one-piece implant done in this way was a precise fit; therefore, it is possible that navigation between intraoperative anatomical landmarks is lost. However, in cases where reconstruction is difficult, such as extensive orbital wall fractures and large orbital sequelae, the 3D printed implant has been helpful in decreasing surgical time and can be accessed by a limited surgical approach with a precise fit.Our clinical case involved a 37-year-old male patient who experienced severe physical aggression in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, due to the overwhelming healthcare demands and resource constraints imposed by the pandemic, immediate surgical intervention for the correction of the fracture was not feasible.As a result of this delay, the patient developed sequelae of the orbital fracture over the last 3 years.

    Keywords: Orbital fracture, reconstruction, 3D printed, Titanium implants, Custom-made

    Received: 30 Apr 2024; Accepted: 27 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Pulino, Fonseca, Vieira, Piteri Filho, Mâcedo, D'Amado, Pereira, Santos, Ilesan, Moreira, Viana and Guerra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Raphael C. Guerra, Hospital Sirio Libanes, São Paulo, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.