Creation and utilization of a digital database for nasal prosthesis models.

Background: The study describes the development and implementation of a digital nose database in order to provide patients with nasal prostheses following rhinectomy. Mirrored data for computer-aided design (CAD) cannot be used due to the unpaired structure of the nose.

Materials And Methods: The faces of 202 people were digitized using a 3-dimension (3D) scanner. The noses were scaled, measured and classified according to objective criteria. The physician, the patient and the anaplastologist can collaborate in order to select an appropriate nose from the multitude of existing nose types and sizes. Virtual 'fittings' and an individual adaptation of the nose are feasible. For this purpose the epiTecture software was applied. The selected nose is then created on a 3D printer as a thermopolymer model. This model can be fitted and corrected as a physical model on the patient. The remaining steps are identical to conventional prosthesis production.

Results: A digital nose database was developed at the University Hospital Dresden with the help of the epiTecture software. Instructions for usage are illustrated using the example of a patient.

Conclusions: The process of providing nasal prostheses described in this paper is different from conventional processes. This is primarily due to the elimination of physical modeling, causing substantially less strain for the patient.