Surgical Engineering in Cranio‐Maxillofacial Surgery: A Literature Review

Abstract

A systematic review of the literature concerning surgical engineering in cranio‐maxillofacial surgery was performed. APubMed search yielded 1721 papers published between 1999 and 2011. Based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 1428 articles were excluded after review of titles and abstracts. Atotal of 292 articles were finally selected covering the following topics: finite element analysis (n = 18), computer‐assisted surgery (n = 111), rapid prototyping models (n = 41), preoperative training simulators (n = 4), surgical guides (n = 23), image‐guided navigation (n = 58), augmented reality (n = 2), video tracking (n = 1), distraction osteogenesis (n = 19), robotics (n = 8), and minimal invasive surgery (n = 7). The results show that surgical engineering plays a pivotal role in the development and improvement of cranio‐maxillofacial surgery. Some technologies, such as computer‐assisted surgery, image‐guided navigation, and three‐dimensional rapid prototyping models, have reached maturity and allow for multiple clinical applications, while augmented reality, robotics, and endoscopy still need to be improved.