This study1 investigated the reliability of virtual surgical planning (VSP) in predicting bone resection margins in jaw tumor surgeries by comparing measurements from preoperative CT scans with final histopathology reports. Researchers analyzed 68 bone margins from 35 patients with benign or malignant jaw tumors, finding a strong correlation between VSP and pathological margin distances. The study concluded that VSP is a dependable tool for predicting bone margins, but recommends specific "leeway" distances—15mm for malignant cases and 9mm for benign cases—to account for discrepancies. It also highlights the need for extra caution when planning surgeries for maxillary tumors and sarcomas, as their margins are less predictable through VSP.
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Pu JJ, Lo AWI, Wong MCM, Choi WS, Ho G, Yang WF, Su YX. A quantitative comparison of bone resection margin distances in virtual surgical planning versus histopathology: a prospective study. Int J Surg. 2024 Jan 1;110(1):111-118. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000000780. PMID: 37737999; PMCID: PMC10793803. ↩