Customised design of a patient specific 3D printed whole mandible implant

In this study we investigate the design methodology for the creation of a patient specific, whole mandible implant based on a patient’s medical imaging data. We tailor the implant as a treatment option for a patient who will undergo a mandibulectomy due to cancer infiltration of the jaw. We create a 3D representative model of the patient’s skeletal structure from CT scan data, and us this to generate the implant from the patient’s corrupt mandible. In this particular case study the cancer is restricted to the right region of the mandible, and so the left side is used in a symmetry matching approach to create the final model for manufacturing. The final design was 3D printed in medical grade titanium and finished using a mechanical polishing technique, the yield a near mirror finish. We found the final implant to be highly robust, and an excellent fit to a representative model of the patient’s skeletal anatomy. We believe this approach to hold considerable potential for implementation as a treatment option for mandibular complications.