Three-Dimensional Printing and Medical Imaging: A Review of the Methods and Applications
Introduction
Also known as additive manufacturing or rapid prototyping, this growing technology is changing the manufacturing industry,1 and its potential is beginning to be discovered in health care. The process consists of creating 3-dimensional (3D) objects through successive deposition of materials in 2D layers. Pioneered by Charles Hull in 1986,2 3D printers were first adopted by automobile and aerospace industry to create prototypes for testing before proceeding with mass production. Today, 3D printers and their products are an approximately 4-billion dollar market.3 In addition to prototyping, it is used to make a variety of finished products, including jewelry, batteries, and medical implants.4 3D printing offers many advantages over traditional manufacturing, which include the ability to create objects with complex internal structures, improved versatility and customization, and less space requirements.5 When combined with medical imaging, 3D printing opens up new opportunities in the advancement of medicine. Clinical applications of this emerging technology are actively being investigated in many fields of medicine. The ability to generate 3D models from patient data allows physicians to create custom prosthetics and implants, visualize complicated pathologies better, and teach trainees like never before.6 This article discusses the key features of 3D printed models created from medical imaging data. It focuses on the steps in creating 3D models from Data Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images and current applications in medicine.
Section snippets
Process of Creating 3D Objects From DICOM Data
The process of generating 3D objects from imaging data generally follows these steps: (1) acquisition of image data, (2) extraction of the chosen region of interest termed “segmentation,” (3) transformation of the data from volumetric to a 3D triangular mesh, and (4) transfer of the data to a 3D printer for production. A typical sequence of this process can be seen in Fig 1. These steps are each discussed in detail in the following sections.
Applications of 3D Printing in Medicine
In recent years, the number of applications of 3D printing technology in medicine has rapidly increased.1 Many hospitals are purchasing in-house 3D printers, as the use of 3D printing in health care is expected to grow in the coming years.1920 What was initially seen as a tool for optimizing presurgical planning in complicated procedures is now being recognized for its potential in clinical training, patient education, creation of custom prosthesis, and more.21, 22 Biotechnology research based
Conclusion
3D printing is a powerful tool when combined with medical imaging. It has already had a significant effect in many fields of medicine. It has been successfully used to create anatomical models to assist complicated surgeries, teach trainees to perform delicate procedures, and create custom prosthetics. As both medical imaging and 3D printer technology continue to advance, new opportunity for their combined use would be discovered.
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