Australia develops digital tool to give surgeons a pre-theatre rehearsal

Researchers at Australia-based University of Sydney’s School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering are developing a surgical planning tool to assist surgeons in planning complex jawbone reconstruction procedures using new generation devices. Using advanced computational technology and decisionmaking algorithms, the tool works by generating a ‘digital twin’ of the patient using CT scan data. It then rapidly simulates different designs of the implant before 3-D printing the final, optimal design, allowing surgeons to perform a digital ‘rehearsal’ prior to theatre. Jawbone reconstruction or orthognathic surgery is a complicated medical procedure whereby a person’s jaw is treated for significant trauma, such as from a car crash or gunshot wound, or diseases like oral cancer. The surgical planning tool combines computer-aided design (CAD) tools with high-fidelity computer-aided engineering models and optimisation algorithms that can accurately simulate the medical device while under physiological load.