ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomechanics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1598975
Design of a General Type BSSO Fixation Plate Integrating Topology and Parameter Optimization for Various Severity Levels of Hemifacial Microsomia
Provisionally accepted
- 1National Center for Instrumentation Research, National Institutes of Applied Research, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- 2Craniofacial Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- 3Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Craniofacial Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- 4Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, TamKang University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Patients with hemifacial microsomia exhibit varying degrees of mandibular asymmetry. The commercial plates used during bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) surgery are often not tailored to individual patients and may lack sufficient fixation stability, increasing the risk of mandibular relapse. This study proposes a patient-specific plate design by collecting CT images of 30 cases of hemifacial microsomia to statistically analyze mandibular asymmetry.The design process integrates topology and parameter optimization analysis to develop the plate (TOPO plate), aiming for a lightweight structure with enhanced fixation stability. The structural strength and fixation stability of the TOPO plate were verified through static and dynamic four-point bending tests, as well as biomechanical testing, ensuring compliance with clinical requirements and regulatory approval for market release.The TOPO plate features an asymmetrical design tailored to patient's specific anatomy. In static/dynamic four-point bending tests, the structural strength of the TOPO plate exceeded that of commercial plates, with average proof loads of 326.9N for the right side and 389.85N for the left side. Biomechanical analysis and testing confirmed that the TOPO plate effectively limits the displacement of the mandibular segment (average 0.45mm), providing favorable fixation stability and thereby reducing the risk of relapse. In summary, the TOPO plate is applicable for most patients with hemifacial microsomia, meeting the biomechanical requirements of the mandible and complying with market conditions. This patientspecific approach promises improved outcomes in mandibular fixation stability.
Keywords: Hemifacial microsomia, BSSO, relapse, Topology optimization, parameter optimization, Patient-specific implant, ASTM F382
Received: 24 Mar 2025; Accepted: 16 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chang, Wang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yu-Tzu Wang, Department of Mechanical and Electro-Mechanical Engineering, TamKang University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.