3D digital geometry designs for Poland’s syndrome using Magics and Geomagic^® Freeform^®

Abstract

Purpose

Poland’s syndrome patients often seek medical interventions to improve their aesthetic appearances. Design and manufacturing technologies make it possible to produce custom-made implants for such medical conditions. The purpose of this study was to compare the 3D digital geometries that were designed using Magics and Geomagic^® Freeform^® for two anonymous case studies of Poland’s syndrome patients.

Design/methodology/approach

Computed tomography data were acquired and processed in Mimics^® to isolate the pectoralis muscles in STL file format. STL files were imported into Magics and Geomagic^® Freeform^® to design 3D digital geometries. Thereafter, comparative analyses were performed of the respective 3D digital geometries.

Findings

The angle between the vertical and oblique planes for both sides of the thorax was 6.5° for the female and 14° for the male. The surface areas and volumes of the geometries for the female were smaller than the male. Deviation analyses between the healthy side and reconstructed side of a thorax showed that 73 per cent of the test points for Magics and 78 per cent for Geomagic^® Freeform^® fell in the nominated tolerance region of >−5 and <+5 mm for the female. For the male, it was 83 per cent for Magics and 88 per cent for Geomagic^® Freeform^®.

Practical implications

Geomagic^® Freeform^® provides a more versatile design environment; however, the STL editor Magics may be an option to design 3D geometries for less intricate and less contoured implants.

Originality/value

This was a first attempt to compare the 3D geometries for Poland’s syndrome designed with an STL editor to those designed with a computer-aided design program.

Citation

Van Heerden, I., Fossey, A. and Booysen, G.J. (2018), "3D digital geometry designs for Poland’s syndrome using Magics and Geomagic^® Freeform^®", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 229-236. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-05-2016-0085