West Chester- based DePuy Synthes CMF (Craniomaxillofacial) is now offering Patient Specific Plates for Mandible (PSPM) – new plates that are customized based on surgeon specifications and individual patient anatomy.

The firm is a leader in skeletal and soft tissue repair and reconstruction and part of the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The new PSPM is the latest addition to the company’s portfolio of preoperative planning services, intraoperative tools, and patient-specific devices designed to help surgeons achieve their goals of accuracy, efficiency and patient care.

“PSPM gives the reconstructive surgeon greater control over plate design and screw placement which assists in planning of future dental restoration, ultimately leading to a more individualized reconstruction,” said Dr. Matthew J Bak, an ENT-otolaryngologist and assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Bak was one of the first surgeons in the country to perform an operation with the PSPM. The new plates have a range of customizable design features surgeon’s like Bak can select before surgery. Features include plate thickness and shape, and screw hole locations, pattern and angulation.

DePuy Synthes CMF engineers then design and manufacture the plate to the pre-planned patient anatomy. The plate is 3D milled from a solid block of titanium to its final shape and is never bent. This eliminates the need for plate bending in the operating room, which can induce mechanical stress and increase the potential for plate breakage.

In addition, the DePuy Synthes patient-specific plate is optimized for use with PROPLAN CMF surgical guides. These guides have integrated drill guides for creating the bone holes, which are designed to align with the plate holes to facilitate transfer of the surgical plan to the operating room. Anatomic bone models may be created from original patient CT scans or to the planned outcome, to provide tactile and visual representation of the surgery to enhance patient understanding.