Microtia is a congenital malformation affecting one in 5000 individuals and is\ncharacterized by physical deformity or absence of the outer ear. Nowadays, surgical reconstruction\nwith autologous tissue is the most common clinical practice. The procedure requires a high level of\nmanual and artistic techniques of a surgeon in carving and sculpting of harvested costal cartilage of\nthe patient to recreate an auricular framework to insert within a skin pocket obtained at the\nmalformed ear region. The aesthetic outcomes of the surgery are highly dependent on the\nexperience of the surgeon performing the surgery. For this reason, surgeons need simulators to\nacquire adequate technical skills out of the surgery room without compromising the aesthetic\nappearance of the patient. The current paper aims to describe and analyze the different materials\nand methods adopted during the history of autologous ear reconstruction (AER) simulation to train\nsurgeons by practice on geometrically and mechanically accurate physical replicas. Recent advances\nin 3D modelling software and manufacturing technologies to increase the effectiveness of AER\nsimulators are particularly described to provide more recent outcomes.
Loading....