AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.3986
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

3D-Printing of retainer for post-otoplasty morphology preservation

Peixu Wang1 ,  Di Wang1 ,  Wenshuai Liu2 ,  Litao Jia1 ,  Bo Pan1 ,  Xiaobo Yu1 ,  Yiwen Deng1 ,  Xia Liu2 ,  Haiyue Jiang1* ,  Lin Lin1*
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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
IJB 2024, 10(5), 3986 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.3986
Submitted: 19 June 2024 | Accepted: 26 July 2024 | Published: 29 July 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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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 performed to assess stress distribution and deformation for optimal support. Clinical validation was conducted involving 20 patients wearing the retainer for 8 h daily for a week, with satisfaction measured using the C-QUEST 2.0 scale. Clinical assessments were performed with 20 post-otoplasty patients treated with either a retainer or an external stretching device. The results indicated that high-precision, biocompatible, patient-specific retainers were successfully produced. BioMed Flex 80A Resin demonstrated strong performance under strain and good stress retention. FEA indicated uniform stress distribution and effective support in critical areas, ensuring structural stability. Clinical validation reported high satisfaction rates (85%), with minor issues in comfort and weight, suggesting a need for individualized adjustments. Clinical assessments demonstrated superior performance in maintaining auricular width and helix-mastoid (H-M) distance compared to the external stretching device. The personalized 3D-printed retainer offers a promising solution for post-otoplasty support, providing consistent, effective, and biocompatible results.

Keywords
3D Printing
Biocompatible resin
Congenital auricular anomalies
Otoplasty complications
Post-surgery support
Funding
This work was supported by the Chinese Academy of Medical Science Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2021-I2M-052), Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (No. Z221100007422084), Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 8230092675), and Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No.7244400).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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