Reverse engineering techniques for cranioplasty: a case study

Abstract

This paper presents rapid prototyping and reverse engineering techniques applied to create an implant for the surgical reconstruction of a large cranial defect. A series of computed tomography (CT) images was obtained and purpose built software was used to extract the cranial geometry in a point cloud. The point cloud produced was used for: (a) the creation of a stereolithographic (STL) physical model for direct assessment of the cranial defect; and (b) the creation of a 3D mould model for the fabrication of the patient-specific implant.

Keywords:

• Cranioplasty
• Implant modelling
• Rapid prototyping
• Reverse engineering