Pre-surgical Nasoalveolar Molding (NAM) Therapy Models
Nasoalveolar molding (NAM) is a pre-surgical treatment used to improve the final results of surgical repair for cleft lip and cleft palate. The NAM process expands tissues prior to surgery by an acrylic orthopedic appliance reducing the amount of surgical correction required during treatment. In the majority of cases, children only need one surgery as opposed to multiple surgeries under general anesthesia to repair cleft lip and palate.
NAM therapy relies on a critical time frame while hyaluronic acid in an infant is highest. The ideal time frame to begin is one to two weeks after birth and before six weeks of age. Because of this timing, it is crucial for parents to understand and practice taping the NAM device to ensure proper tissue alignment.
These models were created to help parents practice and become more comfortable taping the NAM device on 3D printed models before they apply the device with their child. For this project I digitally sculpted four infant heads at different ages in ZBrush. I used a 3D scan of a patient’s unilateral cleft palate impression to create the progressive models from birth to post cleft lip and palate operation after using NAM therapy.
