33rd Annual Scientific Meeting proceedings

Introduction. Severe ophtalmic conditions such as trauma, uveitis, corneal damage, or neoplasia can lead to eye removal surgery. Poor cosmetic appearance resulting from the sunken orbit ensues. The aim of this study was to develop a custom-made 3D-printed orbital implant made of biocompatible material for the enucleated horse. Materials and methods. Blender, a 3D-image software, was used for prototype design. Twelve adult Warmbloods’ cadaver heads were collected from the slaughterhouse. On each head, a myoconjunctival enucleation was performed on one randomly selected eye. Ocular measurements were collected on each enucleated eye with a caliper and used for prototype sizing. Twelve custom-made prototypes were 3D-printed in BioMed Clear resin using the stereolithography technique. Each implant was fixated into the orbit by suture of the recti muscles, conjunctiva and Tenon capsule. After freezing, thin slices of heads were performed with a band saw in the transversal plane. A scoring system, based on four criteria and ranging from 0 (poor fixation) to 2 (proper fixation), was developed to evaluate implantation. Results.75% of the heads received a score of 2. Each implant cost 7.30€ and 3D-printing took approximately 5 hours.Discussion/Conclusion. The production of an economically accessible porous orbital implant, made of biocompatible material, was successful. With this manufacturing technique, 3D-printing of implants of various sizes can be performed prior to surgery to ensure availability of the adequate implant during the procedure. Further studies will help determine if the present prototype is usable in vivo.