G-ear: a user-friendly tool for assisted autologous ear reconstruction

The major breakthroughs in the fields of reverse engineering and additive manufacturing have dramatically changed medical practice in recent years, pushing for a modern clinical model in which each patient is considered unique. Among the wide spectrum of medical applications, reconstructive surgery is experiencing the most benefits from this new paradigm. In this scenario, the present paper focuses on the design and development of a tool able to support the surgeon in the reconstruction of the external ear in case of malformation or total absence of the anatomy. In particular, the paper describes an appositely devised software tool, named G-ear, which enables the semi-automatic modeling of intraoperative devices to guide the physician through ear reconstruction surgery. The devised system includes 3D image segmentation, semi-automated CAD modelling and 3D printing to manufacture a set of patient-specific surgical guides for ear reconstruction. Usability tests were carried out among the surgeons of the Meyer Children's Hospital to obtain an assessment of the software by the end user. The devised system proved to be fast and efficient in retrieving the optimal 3D geometry of the surgical guides and, at the same time, to be easy to use and intuitive, thus achieving high degrees of likability.