The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Breaking Barriers in Maxillofacial Treatment at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Central Scanning recently provided additional 3D scanners to the Maxillofacial department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

The Maxillofacial department treats patients with a variety of medical conditions affecting the mouth, jaws, face and neck. These conditions can sometimes require facial scanning. For example, Burn Victims, Orthognathic Patients and IED blast victims.

The hospital also uses scanning for pre-surgical defects and for scanning medical plates/implants to use for Virtual Surgical Planning.

However, the department faced the challenge of providing detailed scans of patients’ facial profiles, dental casts, and other body parts to aid in treatment and surgical planning.

Traditional methods of scanning, such as manual measurements and two-dimensional imaging, were not sufficient for the hospital’s needs.

Breaking Barriers in Maxillofacial Treatment at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

The Artec Micro scanner was used to scan dental casts and metal plates for orthopaedic surgery.

This is where Central Scanning come in. To address this challenge, the hospital implemented 3D scanning solutions using the Artec Micro and Artec Eva scanners, along with the Artec Studio software.

The Artec Eva scanner was used to take patients’ facial profiles, which were then converted into STL files and edited using in-house software.

3D scanning solutions at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham has greatly improved the accuracy and detail of the scans. This has allowed the hospital to provide better treatment and surgical planning for patients.

For burns victims, the 3D model of the patient’s face is used as a compression therapy mask to treat the scars over time.

Thank you to Nick and Alex at Central Scanning Bromsgrove for the continued support and loan. The 4th Emergency service!

Stefan Edmondson

Head of Maxillofacial

For orthognathic surgery, the hospital imports STLs of the dental casts into the 3D planning software, which is created by scanning the dental cast using the Artec Micro.

The hospital also uses the 3D scanners to assist in the production of prosthetics.

By scanning the patient’s non-defect side, such as the ear, with the Artec Eva or scanning a patient’s impression with the Artec Micro, the hospital can 3D print a mirrored version of the model for the prosthetist to use as a reference.