title: Design and manufacturing of ear prosthesis by means of rapid prototyping technology.
abstract: In this paper, the complete procedure to design and construct reusable moulds for implant-based ear prosthesis and manufacture substructures by means of a computer aided design-computer aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) procedure and rapid prototyping (RP) technology is presented. The scan of the healthy ear, the virtual superimposition of its mirrored image on to the defective side, and the rapid manufacturing of the substructure and of the mould eliminate several steps of traditional procedures (wax, stone, try-in). Moreover, the precise design and customization of the substructure is presented, with the original and engineered shape for the retention of the silicone. The time and cost saving results of this protocol are presented together with a discussion of the main design features that make the prosthesis a stable and reproducible system to improve rehabilitation of patients with auricular defects or absence.
authors.affiliation: Virtual Reality and Simulation Laboratory, Second Faculty of Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Forli, Italy. francesca.decrescenzio@unibo.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Crescenzio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fantini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ciocca
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Persiani
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scotti
mesh_terms: D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004431:Ear, External / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011474:Prosthesis Design / Q000379:methods*