Three-dimensional (3D) photopolymerization in the stereolitography. Part III. Medical applications of laser-induced photopolymerization and 3D stereolithography

INDUCED PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION AND 3D STEREOLITHOGRAPHY'"1Summary -A review with 40 references covering laser-induced photopoly merization in microsurgery, e.g., in vivo repair of an injured knee (Fig. 1) and in vivo repair or reinforcement of tendon ligaments (Fig. 2); applications of 3D CAD-CAM in surgery to produce high-resolution images of internal body parts via computer-assisted tomography and magnetic resonance ima ging interfaced with rapid prototyping and manufacturing systems and ste reolithographic equipment (Figs.345); and design and manufacturing of or thopaedic implants [involving 3D CAD-CAM systems (Figs. 7, 8)].The ap plications of photopolymerized resin composites as implants pose severe biological problems and require more intensive studies to achieve a signifi cant progress.Key words: three-dimensional photopolymerization in stereolithography, la ser-induced photopolymerization and 3D stereolithography applications in microsurgery.During the recent decade laser polymerization has found wide application in photocuring [3][4][5].The pos sibility of manufacturing accurate and fast medical mo dels by 3D photopolymerization opens new perspec tives in the manufacturing of medical prototypes (e.g.endoprostheses).Prof.