Andreas A Mueller Research Group - Facial and Cranial Anomalies
Andreas A Mueller Research GroupFacial & Cranial Anomalies
Bone
Vessels
Andreas Vesalius: Fabrica
Digital Twins
Microsurgery
Malformation Anatomy
Robotic Assistance
Surgical Simulation
We are a team of surgeons and researchers with specialization in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, serving patients at the University Hospital of Basel and the University Children's Hospital Basel. Our main focus is treatment of patients with facial and cranial anomalies as University Center for Cleft Lip and Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies, specially infants born with orofacial cleft. (History of cleft lip and palate treatment) We conduct translational research as members of the Department of Clinical Research and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Basel. Our aim is to develop optimal treatment strategies with minimal burden for the patient and health care system that simultaneously achieve better functional and structural outcome. We continually strive to achieve our goals at the interface among clinical activities, technological development and biological research through local and international collaborations among multidisciplinary groups.
News from the group
July 2025
Prof. Dr. Alonso Nivaldo, PhD from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil has visited us for clinical and research exchange.
August 2024
Schweizerische Institut für ärztliche Weiter- und Fortbildung (SIWF) Award
Prof. Andreas Müller has been awarded for his exceptional engagement in medical training. Former residents nominated him to express their personal appreciation for his commitment to continuing medical education.
June 2024
Dr. Benito Benitez has been awarded a research funding from Geistlich-Stucki Foundation. Congratulations!
Welcome Kisanthan!
Kisanthan has joined our research group to work on his dissertation in dentistry. He is currently completing the master's degree at the Dental School in Basel.
Latest publications
Sommacal A, Benitez BK, Lill Y, Fernandez-Pose M, Beyer M, Thieringer FM, Mueller AA. Development of Palatal Growth Charts for Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Before Primary Single-Stage Repair. Cleft Palate-Craniofacial J. , 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/10556656251369672
Erkert JA, Benitez BK, Lill Y, Tapia Coron S, Mueller AA. Cone-beam computed tomography-guided volumetric assessment of secondary alveolar bone grafting. Sci Rep 15, 29766, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15083-9
Behunova J, Rehder H, Dobsak A, Kircher SG, Boer LL, Mueller AA, Patsch JM, Winter E, Oostra R-J, Piehslinger E, et al. Facial Bone Defects Associated with Lateral Facial Clefts Tessier Type 6, 7 and 8 in Syndromic Neurocristopathies: A Detailed Micro-CT Analysis on Historical Museum Specimens. Biology. 2025; 14(7):872. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14070872
Lingens L, Lill Y, Nalabothu P, Benitez BK, Mueller AA, Gross M, Solenthaler B. Evaluation of synthetic training data for 3D intraoral reconstruction of cleft patients from single images. Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg. 2025 May 24. doi: 10.1007/s11548-025-03396-z. Online ahead of print.PMID: 40411726
Nalabothu P, Benitez BK, de Macedo Santos JW, Mueller AA. Cleft Lip and Palate Digital Impression Workflow. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2025 May 29;13(5):e6741. doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000006741.
Nalabothu P, de Macêdo Santos JW, Benitez BK, Lill Y, Tapia Coron S, Mueller AA. Cleft photo mirror combining self-retraction, scaling, and anti-fogging features for cleft palate documentation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2025 Mar 17. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000012099.
Nandan H, Braumann B, Kruse T, Wolf M, Jha P, Reddy SG, Nalabothu P. Technical insights on adjustable velar extension and safety mechanism in Tübingen palatal plate for Pierre Robin sequence. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2025 Jan-Feb;15(1):188-190. doi: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2024.12.021.
Wieprzowski Ł, Fernandez-Pose M, Benitez BK, Surowiec Z, Lill Y, Nalabothu P, Mueller AA, Brudnicki A. Presurgical three-dimensional palatal morphology in children with different cleft types compared to healthy controls. J Craniomaxillofac Surg. 2025 Mar 12:S1010-5182(25)00104-0. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcms.2025.03.008
Schönegg D, Deyhle H, Schulz G, Tanner C, Ahmed S, Atwood R, Mueller AA, Müller-Gerbl M, Mezey S, Lieber RL, Khounsary A, Müller B. Three-dimensional hard x-ray micro-tomographic imaging of the human palatal anatomy and gracilis muscle. Event: Optical Engineering + Applications, 2024, San Diego, California, United States. Proceedings Volume 13152, Developments in X-Ray Tomography XV; 1315229 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3035601
Schnabel TN, Lill Y, Benitez BK, Nalabothu P, Metzler P, Mueller AA, Gross M. Gözcü B, Solenthaler B. Large-Scale 3D Infant Face Model. In: Linguraru, M.G., et al. Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention – MICCAI 2024. MICCAI 2024. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 15003. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72384-1_21,