Machine learning-based decision support system for orthognathic diagnosis and treatment planning.

BACKGROUND: Dento-maxillofacial deformities are common problems. Orthodontic-orthognathic surgery is the primary treatment but accurate diagnosis and careful surgical planning are essential for optimum outcomes. This study aimed to establish and verify a machine learning-based decision support system for treatment of dento-maxillofacial malformations. METHODS: Patients (n = 574) with dento-maxillofacial deformities undergoing spiral CT during January 2015 to August 2020 were enrolled to train diagnostic models based on five different machine learning algorithms; the diagnostic performances were compared with expert diagnoses. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. The adaptive artificial bee colony algorithm was employed to formulate the orthognathic surgical plan, and subsequently evaluated by maxillofacial surgeons in a cohort of 50 patients. The objective evaluation included the difference in bone position between the artificial intelligence (AI) generated and actual surgical plans for the patient, along with discrepancies in postoperative cephalometric analysis outcomes. RESULTS: The binary relevance extreme gradient boosting model performed best, with diagnostic success rates > 90% for six different kinds of dento-maxillofacial deformities; the exception was maxillary overdevelopment (89.27%). AUC was > 0.88 for all diagnostic types. Median score for the surgical plans was 9, and was improved after human-computer interaction. There was no statistically significant difference between the actual and AI- groups. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning algorithms are effective for diagnosis and surgical planning of dento-maxillofacial deformities and help improve diagnostic efficiency, especially in lower medical centers.

Our Strategy in Management of Maxillonasal Dysplasia in Pediatric Patients.

ABSTRACT: Maxillonasal dysplasia or Binder syndrome is an uncommon condition. It is a congenital disease characterized by undergrowth of the central face and may include elements of the nose and upper jaw. The hallmark of the deformity is a retruded mid-face and an extremely flat nose. The timing and the surgical approaches for management of such deformity are still controversial. In this paper, we are going to present our experience in management of Binder syndrome in children. Seven children ranging in age from 6 to 13 years with classic features of Binder syndrome were operated upon in this study. The surgical approach was done at an early age and included 3 main components; nasal dorsum augmentation by costal cartilage graft, maxillary augmentation by rib grafts and columellar reconstruction by VY-plasty and strut grafts. Patients were followed for up to 6 years. Excellent results were obtained in all patients with this surgical procedure. Half of our patients required more than 1 surgery but none of them required any secondary orthognathic surgery. Therefore, we recommend that children with Binder syndrome should be managed at an early age at least for correction of their nasal deformities. Maxillary augmentation can also be done simultaneously or delayed for a second stage. During the second stage, further nasal augmentation can be accomplished. Definitive orthognathic surgeries have to be postponed to adolescence. This strategy can dramatically improve the patient aesthetic and alleviate the psychological upset without much disturbance of the facial growth.

Secondary Rhinoplasty in Binder Syndrome: Considerations and Management of Complex Problem With Heterologous Bone Graft.

ABSTRACT: Binder Syndrome occurs in less than 1 per 10,000 live births. Mean features of the syndrome include arhinoid face, abnormal position of the nasal bones, intermaxillary hypoplasia with associated malocclusion, reduced or absent anterior nasal spine, atrophy of the nasal mucosa and absence of the frontal sinus. Treatment of these facial deformities is obviously surgical. In the present work, the authors describe, step by step, their technique in secondary rhinoplasty in a 36-years-old patient affected by Binder Syndrome. In this case, the authors used autologous cartilage graft and heterologous bone graft.Satisfying results are achieved in 12 months of follow-up: graft resorption is acceptable, position of the graft is stable, the authors have no signs of infection and the patient is satisfied with the aesthetical and functional results. The authors believe that the first option, in complex nose's reconstruction, is the use of autologous grafts but, the use of cartilage heterologous bone graft should be taken in account, in the future, as a secondary option in Binder Syndrome and in malformed patients.

Autogenous Dental Transplantation in a Patient Undergoing Class III Dento-Facial Deformity.

Dental transplantation is an alternative for rehabilitation with a high success rate. This article presents a clinical case of autogenous dental transplantation in a 17-year-old male patient undergoing treatment for Class III dento-facial deformity. After 32 months followup, low-cost rehabilitation was possible, and without prejudice to ortho-surgical treatment.

Psychology input to an orthognathic clinic: Patients' perception of service quality.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess patient satisfaction with a clinical psychology service, integrated within an inter-disciplinary orthognathic planning clinic. METHOD: A self-report, custom-designed questionnaire was sent to patients who had completed orthognathic treatment within the last three years. Of the 60 patients approached, 49 responded. RESULTS: The great majority of patients agreed that there was a need for a psychological assessment and that its purpose was adequately explained. Most patients were happy with the information given during their appointment and found the experience helpful. A number of patients felt that additional appointments would have been helpful shortly before, and after, surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The group of orthognathic patients studied found the pre-treatment psychology assessment, provided for them through the combined clinic, to be very acceptable and beneficial. Some suggested that further appointments, throughout the treatment journey, as well as supportive literature, might also have been helpful.

Aesthetic and Functional Rehabilitation of Postburn Maxillofacial Deformity.

Postburn maxillofacial deformities, although rare, are a significant cause of morbidity. Since contracture scars have a potential role in deforming the maxillofacial skeleton, the focus of treatment should be on growing patients, where scar contractures can drastically influence growth and morphology of the maxillofacial units. There are certain aspects of severe facial burns and deformities, especially of the jaws, that deserve sincere attention to overcome aesthetic and functional disabilities such as inability to masticate and incompetent lips. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to discuss these injuries, the mechanism of development of deformities of the jaws and associated structures and their management for better aesthetic, functional, and psychological health of patient. An interpretive clinical report is presented.

A New Software Suite in Orthognathic Surgery : Patient Specific Modeling, Simulation and Navigation.

Orthognathic surgery belongs to the scope of maxillofacial surgery. It treats dentofacial deformities consisting in discrepancy between the facial bones (upper and lower jaws). Such impairment affects chewing, talking, and breathing and can ultimately result in the loss of teeth. Orthognathic surgery restores facial harmony and dental occlusion through bone cutting, repositioning, and fixation. However, in routine practice, we face the limitations of conventional tools and the lack of intraoperative assistance. These limitations occur at every step of the surgical workflow: preoperative planning, simulation, and intraoperative navigation. The aim of this research was to provide novel tools to improve simulation and navigation. We first developed a semiautomated segmentation pipeline allowing accurate and time-efficient patient-specific 3D modeling from computed tomography scans mandatory to achieve surgical planning. This step allowed an improvement of processing time by a factor of 6 compared with interactive segmentation, with a 1.5-mm distance error. Next, we developed a software to simulate the postoperative outcome on facial soft tissues. Volume meshes were processed from segmented DICOM images, and the Bullet open source mechanical engine was used together with a mass-spring model to reach a postoperative simulation accuracy <1 mm. Our toolset was completed by the development of a real-time navigation system using minimally invasive electromagnetic sensors. This navigation system featured a novel user-friendly interface based on augmented virtuality that improved surgical accuracy and operative time especially for trainee surgeons, therefore demonstrating its educational benefits. The resulting software suite could enhance operative accuracy and surgeon education for improved patient care.

VALIDATION OF THE DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT COMPLEX FOR PATIENTS WITH ORTHOGNATHIC DEFORMITIES AND PHONETIC DISORDERS.

Recently, there has been a tendency for the growth of dentognathic deformities of various origins, accompanied by phonetic abnormalities. Aim - to increase the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment of dentognathic deformities, accompanied by phonetic disorders, by developing and justifying a set of diagnostic and therapeutic measures based on a multidisciplinary approach. The influence of the state of ENT organs on the formation of dentognathic deformities and phonetic disturbances is studied in 155 children. A clinical dental examination and orthodontic treatment is performed in 82 patients aged 6-12 years. Individual corrective speech therapy work has been carried out to overcome the defects of the phonological side of speech. A certain pathological "chain" of cause-effect relationships of dentognathic deformities with phonetic disorders and diseases of the ENT organs became the basis for a multidisciplinary approach to solving the problems identified. The qualitative and quantitative dependence of sound deterioration on the type of orthognathic deformities is established. A complex of diagnostic and therapeutic measures for patients with dental deformities accompanied by phonetic disorders, consisting of motivational, diagnostic and therapeutic blocks, has been developed and introduced into practice. The proposed complex of diagnostic and treatment measures made it possible to increase the efficiency of orthodontic treatment of children with dentognathic deformities with disturbances of sound pronunciation depending on the type of bite by means of a multidisciplinary approach involving an otolaryngologist, speech therapist, children's therapist and surgeon, which was confirmed in 86.6% of patients by the improvement of electromyography, anthropometric measurements of scanned models of jaws, cephalometry; the analysis of cone-beam computed tomography data showed a significant increase in the upper respiratory tract volume by 53.8±4.2%.

Intra- and Postoperative Complications of Le Fort I Maxillary Osteotomy.

BACKGROUND: The Le Fort I maxillary osteotomy is a versatile and simple procedure, which has gained popularity nowadays, to correct a wide range of malocclusion and maxillofacial deformities. This procedure is often associated with significant but rare postoperative complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the types and frequencies of intra- and perioperative complications related to Le Fort I osteotomies in noncleft Iranian patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, all the healthy systemic patients, (ASA I, II) with the age range of 18 to 30 years from both genders, who had the skeletal class II or III deformities and required only isolated 1-piece maxillary Le Fort I osteotomy, were included in this study. These patients had no craniofacial cleft history and were candidates for orthognathic surgery in Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Qaem Hospital of Mashhad (Iran), 2015 to 2017. All of the operations were carried out or supervised by a single surgeon and anesthesiologist using the same protocol. The patients were monitored for occurrence of intra- or postoperative complications till 6 months. The t-test, Chi-squared test, and Fisher exact test were performed for data analysis using SPSS version 16 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). RESULTS: In the present study, a total of 114 consecutive patients with the average age of 22 ±â€Š5 years from October 2015 to November 2017 were recruited. About 77 (67.54%) patients were presented skeletal class III deformity and 37 (32.46%) were class II. The most prevalent maxillary movement after Le Fort I osteotomy was identified to be isolated maxillary advancement in 51 (44.75%) patients. Only 10 (8.77%) of all 114 patients confronted surgical complications. Hemorrhagic complication (arterial bleeding from descending palatine artery and epistaxis) and anatomic complications (septal deviation and bad fracture) would be the most prevalent complications with the frequency of 5.25% and 3.5% in total. Maxillary setback with impaction presented the highest rate (36.4%) of complications compared to other maxillary movement types. On balance, there was a significant association between Le Fort I surgery complications and maxillary movement types in our research (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The rate of intra- and postoperative complications following Le Fort I osteotomy for healthy noncleft adults in our center was low. Therefore, it can be concluded that this technique is safe and reliable. The maxillofacial surgeon should pay more attention for prevention or even management of the risk of intra- and perioperative complications in patients with anatomic irregularities (previous craniofacial cleft or trauma history) and those who required maxillary setback concomitant with impaction movements.

Negative pressure wound therapy in complex cranio-maxillofacial and cervical wounds.

The care and the management of the healing of difficult wounds at the level of the skull-facial face many problems related to patient compliance and the need to perform multiple dressings, with long periods of healing and, occasionally, a very long hospitalisation period. The introduction and evolution of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in the treatment of difficult wounds has resulted in better healing, with a drastic reduction in terms of time and biological costs to the patient and cost to the health care system. The main aim of this study is to describe and discuss, using out our experience, the usefulness of NPWT in the cranial-facial-cervical region. We studied 16 patients with complex wounds of the cranial-facial-cervical region treated with NPWT. We divided clinical cases in four groups: cervicofacial infectious disease, healing complications in oncological-reconstructive surgery, healing complications of injury with exposure of bone and/or internal fixations and healing complications in traumatic injury with loss of substance. We evaluated complete or incomplete wound healing; application time, related also to hospitalisation time; days of intensive care unit (ICU) stay; management of the upper airways; timing of medication renewal; and patient comfort and compliance (on a scale of 1-5). Depression values were always between -75 and -125 mmHg in a continuous aspiration pattern. For every patient, we used the ActiVAC Therapy Unit, derived from the vacuum-assisted closure system (Kinetic Concepts Inc., San Antonio, TX). Medication renewals were performed every 48-72 hours. The NPWT application time ranged from 4 to 22 days (mean of 11·57 day). Therapy was effective to gain a complete restitutio ad integrum in every patient included in the group of cervicofacial infectious disease. Therapy has, however, been well tolerated in our series; this is probably due to the decreased number of applications, the ease of use and the comfort of the system relative to traditional dressing. Results were satisfactory for most of cases treated; faster and more effective wound healing was achieved. The lower number of NPWT applications, relating to standard dressings, led to an increase in patient comfort and compliance and a decrease in the use of medical, and in some cases economic, resources according to international literature.

Comparison of Two Different Grafts in Nasal Framework Reconstruction of Binder Syndrome: Cartilage and Silicone.

BACKGROUND: Binder syndrome is a rare congenital malformation with a flat facial profile especially a depressed nose. Rhinoplasty plays an important part in the multidisciplinary surgical protocol. Different materials have been proposed to reconstruct nasal framework. But fewer evidence concerns which graft can achieve more stable and appreciated nasal contour. In this article, the authors reported surgical details and experience of nasal framework reconstruction of Binder syndrome, compare the esthetic outcomes of 2 grafts: autologous costal cartilage and L-shaped silicone covered with auricular cartilage. METHODS: A retrospective study of 25 Binder syndrome patients (9 with silicone and 16 with costal cartilage) was managed. Anthropometric method was used to evaluate nasal profiles preoperatively and postoperatively. Surgical techniques, complications were reviewed. Statistics analysis was managed. Probability (P) of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Tip proportions (angle of convexity of the face with nose, nose tip-length quotient, tip projection anterior glabellar line quotient) improved in silicone group, but cartilage group achieved superior esthetic outcomes than silicone in tip projection, subnasal protrusion, and nasal labial angle. CONCLUSION: Autologous costal cartilage is more favorable to reconstruct the nasal framework and regain nasal esthetics of Binder syndrome.

Postoperative Complications in Craniomaxillofacial Reconstruction With Medpor.

Bone reconstruction in craniofacial surgery is a challenge for surgeons, who most commonly adopt the autogenous bone grafting and alloplastic implants in such procedures. Among the alloplastic materials, the high-density porous polyethylene is highlighted-Medpor (Medpor, Porex Surgical Inc, Newman, GA), considered to be pure polyethylene, with only 1 manufacturing process and standard pore size. The purpose of the current study has been to present through a review of literature and the types of complications derived from the use of Medpor in craniomaxillofacial bone surgery. A specific and sensitive database was initially created via PubMed, focusing on studies published in English peer-reviewed journals between 2004 and 2014, including case reports, experimental studies in humans, and prospective and retrospective studies. Forty articles were found at PubMed database. After analyzing their abstracts, 19 were selected, totaling 1453 patients and 121 complications, being the most commonly reported diplopia with 56 patients and infection with 6 patients. Most of the complications reported in the articles used for the development of the current review are not directly related to the use of the Medpor implant. The only complications directly related to the use of this biomaterial were cases of infection.

A Novel Single-Staged Technique for the Treatment of Soft Tissue in an Oblique Facial Cleft.

INTRODUCTION: Oblique facial clefts are extremely rare and cause significant morbidity. Treatment of these clefts is complex and requires a fundamental understanding of cleft classification and techniques used for treatment of clefts. METHODS: We describe a novel single-staged technique to repair the Tessier no. 4 soft tissue cleft and reconstruct the buccal sulcus and bilaminar lower eyelid by preserving normally excised tissue combined with standard procedures. We also present a case report demonstrating the technique in an adolescent female. The procedure incorporates turnover flaps from soft tissue preservation within the cleft, a Mustarde cheek advancement flap, an anatomical subunit lip repair, a dorsal nasal Rieger flap for ala repositioning, and a lateral nasal flag flap. RESULTS: The single-staged soft tissue repair eliminated the Tessier no. 4 cleft while simultaneously reconstructing the bilaminar lower eyelid and buccal lining. Our patient had no complications within the perioperative period. CONCLUSIONS: This novel single-staged technique for the treatment of the soft tissue Tessier no. 4 cleft not only repairs the cleft but also reconstructs the buccal sulcus and bilaminar lower eyelid with turnover flaps preserved from the normally discarded excess soft tissue within the cleft. The novel repair allows for the creation of a deeper fornix to aid with placement of an orbital prosthesis and is ideal for use in underserved or remote locations.

Virtual Surgery Planning in Orthomorphic Correction of Mandibular Dysmorphology.

Three-dimensional virtual surgery programs are widely available for orthognathic surgery. The advent of imaging software programs has proved to be useful for diagnosis, treatment planning, outcome measurement, and three-dimensional surgical simulation. Complex maxillofacial malformations continue to present challenges in analysis and correction beyond modern technology. Orthomorphic correction for mandibular dysmorphology refers to basal bone movement without any change in dental component. The purpose of this paper is to present a virtual surgery planning for surgeons to perform the orthomorphic surgery with precision and quantification. Moreover, it provides an essential educational tool for patients to foresee predicted surgical outcome.

Anteriorly Based Galeo-Pericranial Frontalis Flap: A Novel Application in Secondary Rhinoplasty With Atrophic Skin.

BACKGROUND: Nasomaxillary dysplasia (Binder syndrome) and cleft are congenital malformations of the midface. Ideally, the nasal deformity is treated from childhood. This approach leads to the need for several surgeries and revisions until full growth is reached. As a result of multiples procedures, the skin over the nasal dorsum sometimes becomes thin, atrophic and could be strongly attached to underlying grafts. For this setting of patients when another rhinoplasty is required, it becomes a technical challenge. The authors describe their experience in complex secondary rhinoplasty performed in patients with thin atrophic skin using the anteriorly based galeo-pericranial frontalis flap (GPFF) to improve the quality of the covering soft tissue along the whole nose skeleton area. RESULTS: Since 2013, 3 female patients; 2 of them with Binder syndrome and 1 cleft lip/palate patient (average 18 years) with previous rhinoplasty (3-6 procedures) are subjected to secondary rhinoplasty using GPFF turning it over the osteochondral nasal framework. Postoperative follow-up was 3 to 18 months. There were no viability complications of the dorsum skin flap in the immediate postoperative period. At long-term follow-up, a visible improvement of local skin conditions and restoration of the nasal contour was achieved. CONCLUSIONS: The anteriorly based GPFF is a well-vascularized versatile flap used extensively in anterior cranial fossa surgery and frontal sinus trauma. Given its known and constant vascular anatomy, this flap is adapted to a new application in complex secondary rhinoplasty, in the presence of atrophic skin with good aesthetic outcomes.

Bone Tissue Engineering Challenges in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.

Over the past decades, there has been a substantial amount of innovation and research into tissue engineering and regenerative approaches for the craniofacial region. This highly complex area presents many unique challenges for tissue engineers. Recent research indicates that various forms of implantable biodegradable scaffolds may play a beneficial role in the clinical treatment of craniofacial pathological conditions. Additionally, the direct delivery of bioactive molecules may further increase de novo bone formation. While these strategies offer an exciting glimpse into potential future treatments, there are several challenges that still must be overcome. In this chapter, we will highlight both current surgical approaches for craniofacial reconstruction and recent advances within the field of bone tissue engineering. The clinical challenges and limitations of these strategies will help contextualize and inform future craniofacial tissue engineering strategies.

Unilateral mydriasis after maxillary osteotomy: a case series and review of the literature.

PURPOSE: To present 4 cases of unilateral mydriasis associated with orthognathic surgery and to review the differential diagnosis and management related to this condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four cases of unilateral mydriasis associated with orthognathic surgery were identified from the authors' institutional experience. All maxillary osteotomies performed by the authors' department from 2001 to 2013 were identified based on Current Procedural Terminology codes; 4 cases of unilateral mydriasis were found. Cases are presented and the literature is reviewed. RESULTS: Two male and 2 female patients with an age range of 16 to 34 years developed unilateral mydriasis after maxillary osteotomy; the estimated prevalence is 0.004%. Although the precise cause can be difficult to determine, in this series 1 case was attributable to swelling affecting contents of the superior orbital fissure, 1 was related to edema or medications, and 2 were pharmacologically induced. CONCLUSION: Although rare, a review of the differential diagnosis for and management of unilateral mydriasis associated with orthognathic surgery is pertinent to those who perform corrective jaw surgery.

Characteristics of a novel treatment system for linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the dosimetric properties and accuracy of a novel treatment platform (Edge radiosurgery system) for localizing and treating patients with frameless, image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Initial measurements of various components of the system, such as a comprehensive assessment of the dosimetric properties of the flattening filter-free (FFF) beams for both high definition (HD120) MLC and conical cone-based treatment, positioning accuracy and beam attenuation of a six degree of freedom (6DoF) couch, treatment head leakage test, and integrated end-to-end accuracy tests, have been performed. The end-to-end test of the system was performed by CT imaging a phantom and registering hidden targets on the treatment couch to determine the localization accuracy of the optical surface monitoring system (OSMS), cone-beam CT (CBCT), and MV imaging systems, as well as the radiation isocenter targeting accuracy. The deviations between the percent depth-dose curves acquired on the new linac-based system (Edge), and the previously published machine with FFF beams (TrueBeam) beyond D(max) were within 1.0% for both energies. The maximum deviation of output factors between the Edge and TrueBeam was 1.6%. The optimized dosimetric leaf gap values, which were fitted using Eclipse dose calculations and measurements based on representative spine radiosurgery plans, were 0.700 mm and 1.000 mm, respectively. For the conical cones, 6X FFF has sharper penumbra ranging from 1.2-1.8 mm (80%-20%) and 1.9-3.8 mm (90%-10%) relative to 10X FFF, which has 1.2-2.2mm and 2.3-5.1mm, respectively. The relative attenuation measurements of the couch for PA, PA (rails-in), oblique, oblique (rails-out), oblique (rails-in) were: -2.0%, -2.5%, -15.6%, -2.5%, -5.0% for 6X FFF and -1.4%, -1.5%, -12.2%, -2.5%, -5.0% for 10X FFF, respectively, with a slight decrease in attenuation versus field size. The systematic deviation between the OSMS and CBCT was -0.4 ± 0.2 mm, 0.1± 0.3mm, and 0.0 ± 0.1 mm in the vertical, longitudinal, and lateral directions. The mean values and standard deviations of the average deviation and maximum deviation of the daily Winston-Lutz tests over three months are 0.20 ± 0.03 mm and 0.66 ± 0.18 mm, respectively. Initial testing of this novel system demonstrates the technology to be highly accurate and suitable for frameless, linac-based SRS and SBRT treatment.