Presurgical planning is primarily based on data acquired from CT or MRI. CT data can be obtain from two modalities, cone beam CT and fan beam CT (medical grade CT).
Data output from these devices is in "DICOM format" (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine).
Cone beam CT is a more recent development which emits a "cone type" X-ray and is detected by a flat panel sensor.
Traditional fan beam CT emits a "fan type" X-ray and is detected by a linear detector array.
Advantages of fan beam CT include:
Advantages of cone beam CT include:
Fan beam and cone bean CT scanners have both stationary and portable platforms.
Stationary systems often have higher resolution, while portable systems allow for intraoperative usage.
Portable fan beam scanners often have smaller gantry size limiting access to the lower facial skeleton because the shoulders will not fit into the scanner.