Central Scanning recently provided additional 3D scanners to the Maxillofacial department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
The Maxillofacial department treats patients with a variety of medical conditions affecting the mouth, jaws, face and neck. These conditions can sometimes require facial scanning. For example, Burn Victims, Orthognathic Patients and IED blast victims.
The hospital also uses scanning for pre-surgical defects and for scanning medical plates/implants to use for Virtual Surgical Planning.
However, the department faced the challenge of providing detailed scans of patients’ facial profiles, dental casts, and other body parts to aid in treatment and surgical planning. Traditional methods of scanning, such as manual measurements and two-dimensional imaging, were not sufficient for the hospital’s needs.
The Artec Eva scanner was used to take patients’ facial profiles, which were then converted into STL files and edited using in-house software.
The Artec Micro scanner was used to scan dental casts and metal plates for orthopaedic surgery.
3D scanning solutions at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham has greatly improved the accuracy and detail of the scans. This has allowed the hospital to provide better treatment and surgical planning for patients.
For burns victims, the 3D model of the patient’s face is used as a compression therapy mask to treat the scars over time.
