Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Stereolithography: A Recent Tool
in Diagnosis, Treatment Planning,
and Management of Craniofacial
Deformities
Rajesh B. Dhirawani
Abstract Medical rapid prototyping (MRP) is defined as the manufacture of
dimensionally accurate physical models of human anatomy derived from medical
image data using a variety of rapid prototyping (RP) technologies. It has been
applied to a range of medical specialties, including oral and maxillofacial surgery
[
1
-
7
], dental implantology, neurosurgery [
8
,
9
], and orthopedics [
10
,
11
]. The
source of image data for 3-dimensional (3D) modeling is principally computed
tomography (CT), although magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound have also
been used. Medical models have been successfully built of hard tissue (bone) and
soft tissues (blood vessels and nasal passages). MRP was described originally by
Mankowich et al. in 1990 [
12
].
Keywords Stereolithography
Maxillofacial surgery
Dental implantology
Stereolithography
An SL RP system consists of a bath of photosensitive resin, a model-building
platform, and an ultraviolet (UV) laser for curing the resin. Figure
1
shows the
principle of operation of SL apparatus. A mirror is used to guide the laser focus
onto the surface of the resin, where the resin becomes cured when exposed to UV
radiation. The mirror is computer controlled, with its movement being guided to
cure the resin on a slice-by-slice basis. A model is initially designed with CAD
R. B. Dhirawani (
)
Director at Jabalpur Hospital & Research Centre, Jabalpur, India
R. B. Dhirawani
Director at Hitkarini Dental College & Hospital, Jabalpur, India
&
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