Introduction

It is with great pleasure and gratitude to our many contributors that we present this updated second edition of Craniomaxillofacial Reconstructive and Corrective Bone Surgery after its first publication in 2002 with Professor Dr. Med. Joachim Prein and Dr. Alex M. Greenberg as the founding editors. The original edition was provided as an advanced book on craniomaxillofacial surgery and internal fixation techniques. Internal fixation was first developed by orthopedic surgeons who created solutions for previously difficult bone surgery problems and was later adopted by maxillofacial surgeons. Internal fixation by itself became an intensely studied, researched, and clinically investigated aspect of craniomaxillofacial surgery. With numerous groups continuing to advocate the benefits of internal fixation, the field of craniomaxillofacial surgery has evolved, whereby the fixation methods themselves contribute less to the innovation. Nonetheless, innovative developments rely on the foundations of internal fixation as a basis. Recently, as a result of new 3D digital technologies and rapid manufacturing, a paradigm shift has occurred which is beginning to change the algorithms of selected surgical procedures such as bone reconstruction following tumor resection, craniofacial surgery, skull base surgery, corrective jaw surgery, neurosurgery, dental implantology, and the repair of traumatic injuries. In the past, an osteotomy or repositioning of bone would be followed by manual plate selection, adaptation, and fixation, while today in many cases as a result of preoperative virtual surgical planning (VSP), the use of cutting and positioning guides with prebent plates determines the results of a procedure. These technologies provide reduced planning and operating time, decreased complications, and will make manual plate adaptation much less necessary.