Flow Chart for Reconstructive Head and Neck Surgery in Composite Soft and Hard Tissue Defects

The comprehensive on-demand 3D bio-printing for composite reconstruction of mandibular defects

Background

The mandible is a functional bio-organ that supports facial structures and helps mastication and speaking. Large mandible defects, generally greater than 6-cm segment loss, may require composite tissue reconstruction such as osteocutaneous-vascularized free flap which has a limitation of additional surgery and a functional morbidity at the donor site. A 3D bio-printing technology is recently developed to overcome the limitation in the composite reconstruction of the mandible using osteocutaneous-vascularized free flap.

Review

Scaffold, cells, and bioactive molecules are essential for a 3D bio-printing. For mandibular reconstruction, materials in a 3D bio-printing require mechanical strength, resilience, and biocompatibility. Recently, an integrated tissue and organ printing system with multiple cartridges are designed and it is capable of printing polymers to reinforce the printed structure, such as hydrogel.

Conclusion

For successful composite tissue reconstruction of the mandible, biologic considerations and components should be presented with a comprehensive on-demand online platform model of customized approaches.

[Current Therapy Standards for Soft Tissue Sarcomas in the Head and Neck Area - Part 2]

In September 2021, the first version of the German S3 guideline on adult soft tissue sarcomas, version 1.0 (AWMF register number 032/044OL) was presented as part of the oncology guideline program of the DKG, German Cancer Aid and the AWMF. After the basic features of soft tissue sarcomas were presented in Part 1, Part 2 describes the specific options for surgical therapy depending on the location in the head and neck area.

Proposal for the Fusion of Ultrasound and Computed Tomography Images for Image Shift Correction in Craniomaxillofacial Soft Tissue Surgery

ABSTRACT

Surgical navigation has greatly improved the accuracy of craniomaxillofacial bone surgery and is widely used in the clinic. However, during surgery, craniomaxillofacial soft tissue is always deformed due to traction and compression, which leads to intraoperative image drift. This, in turn, impacts navigation accuracy. In order to improve navigation accuracy, this technical note presents a preliminary proposal for fusion imaging technology, which combines ultrasound and computed tomography to address navigational image drift in craniomaxillofacial soft tissue surgery.