Customizing Auricular Framework Using a Three Dimensional Printing Model for Ear Reconstruction | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 09 November 2025 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejprs.2025.428405.1446 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Ahmed Sayed Zakaria* 1; Foad Mohammed Ghareeb2; Medhat Samy Hassan3; Hosaam Hassan Fawzy3; Ahmed Abdelaziz Taalab3 | ||
| 1Plastic and reconstruction, Mataria teaching hospitals | ||
| 2Menofia university | ||
| 3Plastic surgery department, menofia university | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Abstract Background: Advances in 3D printing have revolutionized auricular reconstruction by enabling the creation of patient-specific, mirror-imaged ear models that greatly enhance surgical accuracy and aesthetic outcomes. Unlike traditional 2D imaging or hand-drawn sketches, these physical models provide a precise, tactile guide for carving autologous cartilage frameworks. Aim: The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the role of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology in customizing auricular frameworks for patients undergoing ear reconstruction, particularly in cases of congenital microtia or post-traumatic auricular defects. Patients and Methods: This prospective, single-center clinical trial (2017–2024) evaluated the use of patient-specific 3D-printed auricular models in tailoring autologous costal cartilage frameworks for partial and total ear defect reconstruction. Preoperative high-resolution imaging, CAD modeling, and stereolithographic printing enabled precise mirroring of the contralateral ear for accurate framework carving. Objective symmetry and accuracy indices (ASI, FAI) and subjective FACE-Q scores were used to evaluate outcomes, and complications and ethical guidelines were carefully monitored. Results: The study included 30 patients (mean age 16.2 years), with 56.7% post-traumatic cases and 56% right-sided defects. Surgery involved 3D modeling and SLA printing, using the 6th rib in 63% of cases and had a 43% donor site complication rate. Despite complications like framework exposure (46.7%) and hypertrophic scarring (53.3%), outcomes were favorable, with no significant differences between post-traumatic and microtia groups in ASI, FAI, or FACE-Q scores. Conclusion: This study confirmed that the use of 3D-printed patient-specific auricular models in two-stage ear reconstruction improved surgical accuracy, efficiency, and patient satisfaction. The technique achieved significant anatomical symmetry and was suitable for congenital as well as post-traumatic cases with progressively higher FACE-Q scores. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Key words: 3D printing; Auricular reconstruction; Congenital microtia; Patient-specific models; Surgical accuracy | ||
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