Imaging Requirements
What We Need From You
The quality of the surgical solution we design depends directly on the quality of the imaging data you provide. These are our requirements — general rules that apply to every case, followed by procedure-specific details.
All Cases
General Imaging Requirements
These apply to every case we receive, regardless of procedure type.
- 1
Equipment must be calibrated for a 1:1 data ratio.
- 2
Scans must include coronal, sagittal, and axial planes.
- 3
Provide both soft tissue and bone reconstructions with slice thickness less than 1 mm (ideally 0.625 mm).
- 4
Inter-slice distance must be less than or equal to the slice thickness.
- 5
Share the complete RAW, unprocessed, and uncompressed DICOM folder post-export.
- 6
No motion artifacts — the patient must remain still throughout the scan. Any movement requires a repeat scan.
- 7
Minimize metallic artifacts (e.g. braces, jewellery).
- 8
CBCT is not preferred. If used, a quality disclaimer and waiver will be required.
Recommended Convolution Kernel by Scanner
| Scanner | Kernel / Algorithm |
|---|---|
| GE | Bone or Boneplus |
| Philips | D, E, YC |
| Siemens | B50 to B80 |
| Toshiba | FC24, FC50, FC81 |
By Procedure
Procedure-Specific Requirements
In addition to the general requirements above, each procedure type has specific imaging and data needs.
Free Flap Fibula Surgery
- Scan of head and neck with jaw open at a 1 cm gap using a non-radio-opaque aid.
- CT Angiography of lower limbs — ensure all vessels are clearly visualised.
- Intraoral scans of upper and lower arches and a bite scan (share in STL, OBJ, or PLY format).
- Provide dental drill sleeves for your chosen implant system to enable integration with the fibula guide.
Orthognathic Surgery
- Scan of head and neck with jaw open at a 1 cm gap using a non-radio-opaque aid.
- Intraoral scans of upper and lower arches and a bite scan are mandatory (STL, OBJ, or PLY format).
- If intraoral scanning is not feasible, courier us the stone models.
- Clinical photographs of upper and lower arch, bite, and full face (anterior and lateral views).
- Note: This service is limited to bony movement simulations and does not extend to soft tissue prediction.
Dental Implant Planning
- Scan of head and neck with jaw open at a 1 cm gap (use a non-radio-opaque aid if needed).
- Intraoral scans of upper and lower arches and a bite scan are mandatory (STL, OBJ, or PLY format).
- Scan of the temporary prosthesis or denture (CT or optical).
- Scan of head and neck while wearing the temporary prosthesis in occlusion.
- Provide dental drill sleeves for your chosen implant system.
Zygoma Implant Planning
- Scan of head and neck with jaw open at a 1 cm gap using a non-radio-opaque aid.
- Intraoral scans of upper and lower arches and bite scan are mandatory (STL, OBJ, or PLY format). If not feasible, courier us stone models.
- Option A: Scan or optical scan of the temporary prosthesis + scan of head and neck with prosthesis in occlusion.
- Option B: Scan of temporary prosthesis with radio-opaque markers + scan of head and neck with prosthesis (with markers) in occlusion.
Titanium Patient-Specific Implants (Ti-PSI)
- 0.625 mm slice thickness only — no exceptions.
- It is critical that there are no artifacts of any kind present in the scan.
- Scan must fully capture the region of interest and all surrounding anatomy.
Cranial Flap Molds & Cranioplasty
- Scan of the entire head and neck region.
Cranial Helmets
- Slice thickness of 1 mm or less.
- Scan must fully capture the area of interest and surrounding anatomy.
- Soft padding may be used to stabilise the head but must not distort the natural contour of the head or ears.
- Avoid any materials or devices (bandages, catheters, monitoring equipment) that could alter head shape.
- If the scan is more than 30 days old, or if there are noticeable changes in head shape, re-scanning is required.
Spinal & Vertebral Cases
- Contrast-enhanced scan required if vertebral artery tracing and visualisation is needed.
Anatomical Models & Surgical Guides
- 0.625 mm slice thickness only.
- Scan must fully capture the region of interest and surrounding anatomy.
- If applicable, scan with jaw open at a 1 cm gap (use a non-radio-opaque aid if needed).
Orthopedic Models & Vascular Cases
- Scan must fully capture the region of interest and surrounding anatomy.
- Contrast-enhanced scan or CT Angiography required if arterial tracing and visualisation is needed.
Metal Artifact Reduction (MAR)
Metallic artifacts can significantly impact the accuracy of planning, design, and fitment of surgical guides and anatomical models. In cases involving metallic hardware — such as plates, screws, or dental restorations — please reconstruct the scan using your scanner's Metal Artifact Reduction algorithm (iMAR / O-MAR / SEMAR / CLIMAR or equivalent) and provide both the original and MAR-corrected DICOM series.
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