A research team from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and NCKU Hospital has developed new navigation systems for orthognathic surgery and lumbar punctures, not only significantly cutting surgery time in half, but also increasing surgical precision — a landmark in local medicine.
When Fang Ching-ching, a professor in NCKU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, was playing ball with a friend 16 years ago, they started chatting about oral and maxillofacial surgeries and discovered that when you cut open a plaster dental model and use traditional two-dimensional cephalometric analysis, you can only see cavities and not the actual position of the bone. The slightest movement during surgery could cause malocclusion and decrease surgical precision. Fang says this is why she started devoting her time to developing computer-assisted navigation systems for orthognathic and lumbar puncture surgeries.
Fang says that overall symmetry, normal occlusion of teeth, as well as trying to obtain as much facial symmetry as possible, are the most important reasons for having reconstructive orthognathic surgery. The Virtual Reality and Multimedia Lab she runs uses optics to guide plaster dental models on top of dental occludators, and then create 3D models using computerized medical imaging. By using data from their evaluations of facial symmetry and cranial analyses, the relationship between occlusion and the 3D images of facial features is obtained, which can guide surgeons during surgery and also provide information for post-surgery analyses.
Photo:Tang Chia-ling, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者湯佳玲
Fang says the two 3D surgical navigation systems can be used in cases of microtia, cosmetic reconstructive surgery for facial bones as well as scoliosis. In working with NCKU Hospital, she has used the systems in clinical studies and 30 patients have now successfully used the new method during surgery. This newly developed technology makes reconstructive surgery more efficient and precise, and whether it be applied in designing assistive technology or 3D puncture surgery, it will help improve future software and technology in local medicine.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
成功大學與成大醫院合作的研究團隊研發出正顎手術與脊椎鑽孔手術使用的導航系統，不僅大幅縮短療程將近一半的時間，並提高手術精準度，是本土醫療的新里程碑。十六年前，成大機械系教授方晶晶與醫師好友一同打球，聊起齒顎重建手術，發現傳統手術是2D紙上測顱，石膏齒模切開後，只看得到齒洞，卻看不見骨頭位置，若有些許移動，牙齒和顎骨的相對位置就會移位，造成手術精準度較低；她因此開始投入電腦輔助齒顎重建，與脊椎鑽孔等手術導航系統的研發。
方晶晶表示，正顎手術最重要是為了達成和諧比例、讓咬合正常，並且儘量達到臉型左右對稱。她主持的「虛擬實境與多媒體研究室」，以光學導引，將石膏齒模放置在咬合器上，整合電腦醫學影像，建立三維模型，藉此評估顎骨對稱度和測顱分析數據，得出齒列咬合與3D下的顏顎骨關係，並能於手術中導引，且於術後追蹤分析。
方晶晶表示，此兩套3D手術導航系統可應用在小耳症、顏面骨整形和脊椎側彎等手術，已與成大醫院醫師合作應用於臨床上，有三十位患者以此新方法完成手術；新研發能提供更有效率、更精準的重建手術輔助工具，未來無論是設計輔具、3D鑽孔應用等，都有助於提升本土化醫療軟體與技術。
（自由時報記者湯佳玲）
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