Three-Dimensional Technology in Rhinoplasty

Overview

The authors argue rhinoplasty is particularly suited to three dimensional modelling. Surface imaging before and after surgery provides a platform for planning, patient counselling and objective measurement of results. Physical models produced by three dimensional printing can be used during surgery and for making nasal prostheses tailored to individual anatomy. Tissue engineering using printed scaffolds is presented as a further development.

Sections of note

• Review article; the abstract reports no patient numbers, no outcomes, no complication rates and no follow up.
• Surface imaging supports surgical planning, patient counselling and objective postoperative measurement.
• Printed physical nasal models can improve performance during surgery and outcomes afterward.
• Printed models can also tailor nasal prostheses to a specific patient's anatomy.
• Printed biocompatible scaffolds have shown excellent mimicry of nasal cartilage in tissue engineering work.
• Those scaffolds are described as holding promise for directed tissue regeneration in rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction.
• The authors expect such innovations to become common in standard practice.

What it means for a patient

• Three dimensional imaging is already used for planning and for measuring results objectively.
• Printed models are a physical reference the surgeon can hold during the operation.
• Engineered cartilage grown on a printed scaffold would remove the need to harvest cartilage from the patient, but is not yet standard care.
• This review reports no outcomes, so it does not show that any of these technologies improves results.

Why this paper matters

Cartilage supply and the gap between planned and achieved results are two persistent limits in rhinoplasty, and these technologies target both. This review surveys where each currently stands. None of the claimed benefits is supported here by measured outcome data.

Terms

• Three dimensional surface imaging: capturing the shape of the face as a digital three dimensional model.
• 3D printing: building a physical object layer by layer from a digital design.
• Tissue engineering: growing living tissue on a supporting structure.
• Biocompatible scaffold: a support structure the body tolerates, on which cells can grow.
• Nasal prosthesis: an artificial replacement for part or all of the external nose.