3D Printing, also called as additive manufacturing or rapid prototyping, is a technology that creates 3D objects using CAD drawings. Because of its benefits like rapidly creating a physical model of system or part representation before final release or commercialization, coupled with the availability of wide range of materials from production grade plastics, composites, bio-compatible, resins, rubber like to metals, the 3D Printing technology has been increasing in popularity. The early adopters of 3D Printing were product development and manufacturing companies from Automotive, Aerospace, Consumer Goods etc.; the medical and healthcare sectors too are rapidly adopting it for the benefits the technology offers like training and customization in medical device manufacturing and medical surgical planning’s and implants.
Advances in 3D imaging techniques have allowed healthcare providers to offer customized healthcare solutions to patients. Down the line, it is also believed that 3D bio-printing technology will make it possible to print usable human organs. While 3D Printing is being used for such diverse medical segments as cell and tissue engineering, health imaging, dental health, prosthetics, etc. we will concentrate on the use of 3D Printing and 3D Printers in the field of digital anatomy in this article.
Importance of the Study of Anatomy
The word ‘anatomy’ is derived from the Greek word ana (up) and tome (cutting). In medical science, anatomy is the study of the arrangement and interrelation of human body parts. On a broad level, the study of anatomy can be bifurcated into macroscopic anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Macroscopic anatomy deals with large structures and features that are visible to the naked eyes, while microscopic anatomy deals with the study of tissues and their organization into organs and systems not easily visible to the eye. The study of anatomy can also be classified in terms of external and internal. The former involves noninvasive methods that observe exterior aspects of the body, while invasive anatomy involves dissection in order to study the internal structure. For doctors of yester years, the study of the basic parts of a human body was the first challenge in order to diagnose and treat a malaise or a disease. Needless to say, in early times, the study of human anatomy entailed dissection of cadavers in order to study the human anatomy in depth.
Digital Anatomy
In historic times, cadavers for anatomical study were available relatively easily. As human societies have advanced, it has become difficult to find cadavers needed by apprentice doctors in order to study anatomy. More importantly, one of the challenges of studying actual human bodies is that they are perishable. Digital anatomy has proven to be a boon for apprentice doctors who want to study to be physicians and surgeons. Digital anatomy is nothing but the 3D modelling of human body using computer technology. Thanks to the easy availability of medical images in digital form, and sophisticated 3D software, it is possible to use advanced visualization techniques and segmentation techniques that can convert these images into 3D vector models of anatomical structures. DICOM® (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine), defines the formats for medical images that can be exchanged with the data and quality necessary for clinical use. Using this technology, it is now possible to put to good use images from radiology, cardiology imaging, and radiotherapy devices (X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, etc.), and increasingly in devices in other medical domains such as ophthalmology and dentistry. These modern medical images are volumetric; they present organ details in small volume elements called volume elements or voxels (just like pixels in a2D image). The collaboration of 3D visualization and 3D Printing hardware has leveraged 3D Printing to accept auto segmented STL files and provide 3D models that are almost like the real thing. With the help of a good 3D Printing software and a good printer like the Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy printer, it is now possible to produce anatomical models that mimic human organs in all details. And thanks to the new range of printing material geared specifically for producing anatomical models, it is possible to achieve the same look as the biological organ.
3D Printers for Digital Anatomy
Digital anatomy and 3D Printing has proven to be a boon not only for trainee doctors, but also for surgeons. Advanced 3D imaging improves the spatial relationships and surface anatomy that are vital for clinical practice, and thanks to advances in 3D printing technology students can visualize and study anatomy exactly as they would on a fresh cadaver. There is an increasing pressure on surgeons to be 100% successful in all surgeries they undertake, and digital anatomy 3D Printers come in quite handy for them. 3D printed anatomy models are realistic, allowing surgeons to study the organ better, understand the possible complications and plan the surgery properly. Since they are based on real patient data, such 3D printed models allow doctors to hold the anatomic model in their hands and understand anatomic anomalies if any, or additional information that may change their surgical approach. There is yet another advantage to 3D Printers for digital anatomy. Such 3D printed digital models provide exact pathology to test new medical devices reliably.
Leading 3D Printer manufacturer like Stratasys has already introduced superlative digital anatomy models with realistic output. “We believe in the potential of 3D printing to provide better health care, and the Digital Anatomy 3D Printer is a major step forward,” says Stratasys Healthcare Business Unit Head Eyal Miller. “We’re giving surgeons a more realistic training environment in no-risk settings. We also anticipate this will enable medical device makers to improve how they bring products to market by performing design verification, validation, usability studies and failure analysis with these new models.”
As advances in 3D printing technology and innovations in printing material progresses, more and more medical professionals and patients stand to gain from digital anatomy 3D Printers.