Virtual Planning and Its Relevance

Remember the old times? When in movies, a doctor used to record a patient's pulse and tell whether the patient is pregnant or not. Well, today, the same is not the case! Medicine and surgery have profoundly evolved, and the practice is now evidence-based.

Talking about evidence-based practice, every patient I treat today wants to know the exact status of the results, the time duration, and the success rate of the surgery in terms of its percentage. Now, being their medical professional, I am answerable to them, for these are genuine questions to which science has the answers today. So, to optimally provide the results to my patients, I first need to know all the procedural steps I am to take to the last millimetre, and here’s where ‘Virtual Planning’ helps me. By far, it has been a boon to orthognathic surgery!

But, before delving into ‘Virtual Planning’ directly, first, let me help you understand Orthognathic Surgery better.

Orthognathic Surgery is the surgery of jaws, which helps reposition the jaw to gain a balanced facial profile. Many people face facial deformity problems or facial imbalances in jaw positioning and growth. For example, a person may have a short lower jaw, and we need to advance it to bring it to its normal position. With the help of virtual planning, we can perfectly note the exact measurement by which the jaw needs to be advanced to realize an optimum jaw relation that ultimately satisfies the patient.

This is the role of Virtual Planning in Surgery. Think of it as viewing the patient in 3D, like in video games and animations. This modern surgery planning process helps us virtually perform surgeries at first with one click and further helps us note how much advancement, setback, and rotation, are needed for an optimum result. With the help of Virtual Planning, we are also able to guide our patients through the surgical process and educate them about its nuances.

This is all about ‘Virtual Planning in Orthognathic Surgery’.

The aforestated example of a person having a short jaw is the real-life story of one of my patients. She suffered from TMJ ankylosis and had almost no lower jaw. But, we were successfully able to help her in her orthognathic treatment by virtually planning her surgery. The surgical guides prepared for her efficaciously helped us achieve the complete advancement of her lower jaw. In another instance, we also treated a young boy who underwent lower jaw advancement assisted by virtual planning.

This is how Virtual Planning in surgery holds umpteen relevance and is by far the most reliable innovation and advancement, benefitting both the doctor and the patient.