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Project

Three-dimensional planning and assessment of bone grafts in cleft lip and palate patients

Radio-anatomical and surgical landmarks are essential for planning of bone grafts in cleft lip and palate surgery. The aim is to define and validate these landmarks for presurgical planning and bone graft assessment. In first, a systematic review is conducted to identify the radio-anatomical and surgical landmarks used for bone grafting in cleft lip and palate patients. The clinical validity of these landmarks will be tested retrospectively on a dataset of cleft lip and palate patients, based on data from both Semmelweis University Budapest and UZ Leuven (ethical approval in both centres needed). Outcome data from the previous studies will be used to further optimize the most robust landmarks for presurgical planning of secondary alveolar bone grafting. Studies are planned to clinically validate and moreover surgically implement the novel outcome variables using CBCT-driven (Cone Beam Computed Tomography) and AI-assisted (Artificial Intelligence) tools to aid the surgical planning and follow-up process in reconstruction of the cleft alveolus. A better understanding of the cleft defects and the surrounding anatomy should be achieved, among a deeper insight of morphological variations and comparison to the non-cleft population. Additional information regarding facial growth patterns should be obtained. The outcome of this PhD may enable to create more accurate outcome prediction models for bone graft surgeries and potentially establish a novel radiological classification system for cleft palate patients.

Date:31 Jan 2020 →  28 Oct 2022
Keywords:cleft palate, pediatric surgery, cone beam computed tomography, maxillofacial imaging, virtual surgical planning
Disciplines:Oral medicine and pathology, Diagnostic radiology, Image-guided interventions, Oral and maxillofacial surgery, Paediatric and infant surgery
Project type:PhD project