有不少病患的顱顏骨骼由於先天畸形、外力傷害或遭受癌細胞侵蝕之故而須接受顱顏整型手術。手術的成功與否，直接影響傷患的復原狀況與整體外貌的美觀程度。傳統上，整型醫師是在手術中，依經驗臨場製作出骨骼植入物（Implant）來進行填補。植入物的材料，一般取自傷患自體的軟骨組織或是使用人工材料 - 骨水泥，這種方式除了拉長手術時間，同時植入物的吻合效果難臻準確與美觀。如何利用電腦輔助設計，能在手術前提供一個快速且有效的方法來設計製出 植入物是許多人研究的目標。 本研究方式，是在病患手術前，經由醫師取得電腦斷層（CT）影像檔案，利用此些影像檔，經由影像處理、電腦圖學等技巧以重建出傷患骨骼植入物的模型，並且事先在電腦上模擬此植入物與傷患骨骼的配合程度，之後再以快速原型機製作出植入物。此植入物再翻成矽膠母模並經消毒後，即可在開刀之前或開刀時以骨細胞或骨粉翻製補塊。與傳統方式相比較，所製作出的植入物除了可以準確且美觀地補足傷患的骨骼缺口，亦可縮短手術時間及減短傷患在手術後的復原時間。 本研究所製作出的植入物，已在臨床上有數起的應用案例，效果良好，深受醫師肯定。 How to efficiently reconstruct defective or damaged bones of patients and also satisfy functional requirements is a long-term research goal in craniofacial plastic surgery. Traditionally, plastic surgeons make bone implants according to their experience during the operation. Such a method will extend operation time and the implant usually can not fit the bone defect well. In this research, the 3D graphics model of the bone implant is reconstructed from CT images and is simulated to see how well the implant matches with the bone defect prior to surgery. Then the physical implant model is manufactured by a rapid prototyping machine. The implant is used to produce a female silicon mold which is used to cast the bone implant using bone cement or bone cell. Compared to traditional processes, the implant made from the silicon mode will match the defect precisely and beautifully. The operation time and the recovery time after surgery will be shorter, too.
