Page 470 - IJB-10-5

International

Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
3D printing of retainer for post-otoplasty

morphology preservation

Peixu Wang 1 id , Di Wang 1 id , Wenshuai Liu , Litao Jia , Bo Pan , Xiaobo Yu ,
2
1
1
1
Yiwen Deng , Xia Liu , Haiyue Jiang * and Lin Lin *
2
1
1
1 id
1 Auricular Reconstruction Center, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
2 Research Center of Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking
Union Medical College, Beijing, China
Abstract
Congenital external auricular anomalies necessitate surgical correction for normal ear
appearance. Despite high success rates, recurrence is common due to the elasticity
of ear cartilage. Postoperative support and stress on the anatomical structures can
effectively maintain the surgical results. This study aims to develop a personalized,
3D-printed retainer for post-otoplasty support, utilizing structured light-scanning
and stereolithography 3D printing to improve postoperative outcomes with greater
accuracy and consistency. Retainers were designed using Rhinoceros software to fit
and support the ear based on these models. BioMed Flex 80A Resin was employed
for 3D printing the retainers, ensuring biocompatibility and mechanical strength.
Mechanical testing was conducted to assess the cured resin’s tensile and compressive
properties, as well as its stress relaxation behavior. Finite element analysis (FEA) was
*Corresponding authors: performed to assess stress distribution and deformation for optimal support. Clinical
Haiyue Jiang validation was conducted involving 20 patients wearing the retainer for 8 h daily for
(jianghaiyue@psh.pumc.edu.cn) a week, with satisfaction measured using the C-QUEST 2.0 scale. Clinical assessments
Lin Lin
(linlin@psh.pumc.edu.cn) were performed with 20 post-otoplasty patients treated with either a retainer or an
external stretching device. The results indicated that high-precision, biocompatible,
Citation: Wang P, Wang P, Liu W, patient-specific retainers were successfully produced. BioMed Flex 80A Resin
et al. 3D printing of retainer for
post-otoplasty morphology demonstrated strong performance under strain and good stress retention. FEA
preservation. indicated uniform stress distribution and effective support in critical areas, ensuring
Int J Bioprint. 2024;10(5):3986. structural stability. Clinical validation reported high satisfaction rates (85%), with
doi: 10.36922/ijb.3986
minor issues in comfort and weight, suggesting a need for individualized adjustments.
Received: June 19, 2024 Clinical assessments demonstrated superior performance in maintaining auricular
Revised: July 23, 2024
Accepted: July 26, 2024 width and helix-mastoid (H-M) distance compared to the external stretching device.
Published Online: July 29, 2024 The personalized 3D-printed retainer offers a promising solution for post-otoplasty
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). support, providing consistent, effective, and biocompatible results.
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Keywords: 3D Printing; Biocompatible resin; Congenital auricular anomalies;
License, permitting distribution, Otoplasty complications; Post-surgery support
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with 1. Introduction
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Congenital external ear anomalies include conditions such as microtia, prominent ears,
1,2
affiliations. and less frequent conditions like cryptotia, Stahl ear, constricted ear, and macrotia.
Volume 10 Issue 5 (2024) 462 doi: 10.36922/ijb.3986