Computer-assisted three-dimensional surgical planning and simulation: 3D virtual osteotomy.

A computer-assisted three-dimensional virtual osteotomy system for orthognathic surgery (CAVOS) is presented. The virtual reality workbench is used for surgical planning. The surgeon immerses in a virtual reality environment with stereo eyewear, holds a virtual "scalpel" (3D Mouse) and operates on a "real" patient (3D visualization) to obtain pre-surgical prediction (3D bony segment movements). Virtual surgery on a computer-generated 3D head model is simulated and can be visualized from any arbitrary viewing point in a personal computer system.