# Katowice surgeons patent template-guided jaw positioning method, used in 12 patients

- Published: 2026-11-07 16:53 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: orthognathic surgery, jaw bone positioning, computer surgical planning, surgical templates, Katowice maxillofacial surgery, Iwona Niedzielska, Ortolab, bimaxillary surgery, skeletal jaw defects
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-383cc1248ceaf8fbb7da6305_katowice_surgeons_patent/

**Doctors at the Mielęcki hospital in Katowice used computer planning and custom templates to place jaw bones in orthognathic surgery, which previously relied on interdental splints.**

![Katowice surgeons patent template-guided jaw positioning method, used in 12 patients](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/4a9b40c8e207880e.jpg)
*U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Wongwai, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain*

Doctors from the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at the A. Mielęcki Independent Public Clinical Hospital in Katowice have developed a method of precisely positioning the maxilla and mandible using computer planning and special templates, reports Nauka w Polsce. The method has so far been used in 12 patients, and its authors have obtained a patent for it [1].

## How the template method works

According to department head Prof. Iwona Niedzielska, who spoke to PAP, the method applies to orthognathic operations in people with severe skeletal jaw defects. These defects affect bite, facial appearance and daily functioning. During the procedure the surgeon separates the bones of the maxilla and mandible and sets their fragments in a position planned in advance [1].

Until now such operations commonly used interdental splints, which did not reproduce the planned bone position as accurately. The Katowice team developed its solution with an engineer from the company Ortolab in Częstochowa, and the work took two years. At first the templates served to position the maxilla relative to the skull base. The solution was later extended with elements that also stabilise the mandible and are meant to prevent its fragments from shifting under muscle tension [1].

Prof. Niedzielska said the bones are set as planned in the software, with greater precision than in operations without such templates and navigation [1].

## Preparation and rehabilitation

The surgeon stressed that the accuracy of the procedure alone does not determine the final result. About a month before surgery, the muscles are injected with botulinum toxin to adapt them to the new bone position. Patients also undergo prehabilitation, and afterwards attend sessions with physiotherapists. Postoperative care also uses dynamic tapes and laser therapy [1].

Preparation can take about two years and includes orthodontic treatment, a psychological consultation and muscle preparation. A key step is a multi-hour meeting of a surgeon, an orthodontist and an engineer, who analyse both the planned bone shifts and the behaviour of the soft tissues of the face [1].

Two patients described their treatment to PAP. Kacper Hładun, 26, began treatment in 2020. It lasted six years and included SARPE surgery followed by bimaxillary surgery with the new method. Klaudia Święcicka, 34, had her operation in June 2026 and is continuing orthodontic treatment [1].

Patients now come to the department from various parts of Poland and from abroad, and the queue is already long. The team's further plans include a way to shorten the orthodontic treatment that precedes orthognathic surgery [1].

## Sources

1. [Nauka w Polsce](https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C115814%2Ckatowice-nowa-metoda-operacji-wady-szczeki-pozwala-precyzyjniej-ustawic)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-383cc1248ceaf8fbb7da6305_katowice_surgeons_patent/