Robocasting, a solid freeform fabrication technique, was used to develop lattices of hydroxyapatite (HA) that show promise as load‐bearing scaffolds for bone repair. Additionally, the lattice scaffolds can be shaped into customized implants. A computed tomography (CT) scan of a damaged mandible was utilized to noninvasively design a lattice implant that could fill the damaged region. In a case study, the fit of the custom lattice scaffold was tested in a damaged mandible and “fit like a glove.” Such implants may be able to replace numerous autograft procedures, thereby reducing surgical cost and complications associated with bone harvesting surgery.
MRI is a viable imaging modality for the evaluation of the anatomy of the levator veli palatini muscle before and after primary palatoplasty in infants born with cleft palate.
Results from the current study are in agreement with previous studies demonstrating variations across patients with cleft palate particularly in the muscle bundle lengths, distance between muscle origins, velar thickness, and velar length. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine how levator muscle and craniometric dimensions vary between those with and without cleft palate. A larger sample size is necessary to provide statistical analysis.
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