A 9.5-year-old, 22.6 kg, castrated male mixed breed dog was diagnosed with a paravertebral myxosarcoma invading into the T9–T11 vertebrae and dorsal left-sided thoracic wall. A total multisegment vertebrectomy of T9–T12 and chest wall resection of the left 8th–12th ribs were performed to resect the tumour en bloc. A patient-specific, three-dimensional implant was designed and printed to reconstruct the defect in the vertebral column following resection of the tumour. This implant was supplemented with four 2.7 mm string-of-pearl plates. The chest wall defect was reconstructed with a latissimus dorsi muscle flap. Postoperative complications included neurological deterioration, and necrosis of the latissimus dorsi muscle flap resulting in marked pneumothorax and cardiorespiratory arrest 17 days postoperatively.

Virtual surgical planning is the process of planning and rehearsing a surgical procedure completely within the virtual environment on computer models. Virtual surgical planning and 3D printing is gaining popularity in veterinary oromaxillofacial surgery and are viable tools for the most basic to the most complex cases. These techniques can provide the surgeon with improved visualization and, thus, understanding of the patients' 3D anatomy. Virtual surgical planning is feasible in a clinical setting and may decrease surgical time and increase surgical accuracy. For example, pre-operative implant contouring on a 3D-printed model can save time during surgery; 3D-printed patient-specific implants and surgical guides help maintain normocclusion after mandibular reconstruction; and the presence of a haptic model in the operating room can improve surgical precision and safety. However, significant time and financial resources may need to be allocated for planning and production of surgical guides and implants. The objectives of this manuscript are to provide a description of the methods involved in virtual surgical planning and 3D printing as they apply to veterinary oromaxillofacial surgery and to highlight these concepts with the strategic use of examples. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of the methods as well as the required software and equipment will be discussed.

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