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    Meo 20 29847

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    The document discusses how 3D printing is being used to create replicas of human bones for use in anatomy education. It provides details on the process of 3D scanning bones from university collections and then 3D printing the replicas. The printed bones allow students to examine anatomical variations and rare pathologies in a way that addresses some of the constraints of using real human remains or models.

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    Meo 20 29847

    Uploaded by

    AJ Boon
    8 views3 pages
    The document discusses how 3D printing is being used to create replicas of human bones for use in anatomy education. It provides details on the process of 3D scanning bones from university collections and then 3D printing the replicas. The printed bones allow students to examine anatomical variations and rare pathologies in a way that addresses some of the constraints of using real human remains or models.

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    The document discusses how 3D printing is being used to create replicas of human bones for use in anatomy education. It provides details on the process of 3D scanning bones from university collections and then 3D printing the replicas. The printed bones allow students to examine anatomical variations and rare pathologies in a way that addresses some of the constraints of using real human remains or models.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    8 views3 pages

    Meo 20 29847

    Uploaded by

    AJ Boon
    The document discusses how 3D printing is being used to create replicas of human bones for use in anatomy education. It provides details on the process of 3D scanning bones from university collections and then 3D printing the replicas. The printed bones allow students to examine anatomical variations and rare pathologies in a way that addresses some of the constraints of using real human remains or models.

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    of 3

    Medical Education Online æ

    LETTER TO THE EDITOR

    The application of 3D printing in anatomy education

    odern medical education relies on a wealth of Second, obtaining bones for anatomical study is a

    M resources as one of the key elements in devel-


    oping students’ clinical competencies. Acquir-
    ing these resources represents a considerable challenge
    complex process. Although obtaining cadavers for anat-
    omy education (with time restrictions because of the legal
    requirement to cremate the body within the maximum
    for many medical schools, not only for financial but also of 8 years) does not represent a problem, thanks to the well-
    a variety of other reasons, including ethical, legal, and developed whole body donation programmes in Australia,
    cultural. Obtaining human tissue, in particular, faces many the acquisition of bones for a permanent collection is
    constraints, which, in some countries and cultural circles, constrained by ethico-legal norms. The main resources
    create serious problems for medical educators. However, used for teaching osteology are thus anatomical bone
    modern technology seems to offer solutions in acquisi- models and bones already acquired for the university’s
    tion of at least some of the resources. Among the new collection (mainly past donations from health profes-
    technologies that have in recent years entered the biome- sionals’ private collections). Although both institutions
    dical fields in research, practice, and education are the have large collections of models, these are not sufficient
    rapid prototyping techniques, particularly as applied in for teaching purposes. Indeed, anatomical models, even
    three-dimensional (3D) printing (1, 2). those of high quality are rather schematic and do not
    In this paper, using an example from Australia’s show the range of variation present in different human
    Macquarie University and Western Sydney University, populations in health and disease (5, 6). The Macquarie
    we outline how 3D printing can be successfully used in collection of human bones, however, although relatively
    anatomy education. Utilisation of 3D printing is a part of small, contains a considerable number of anatomical
    the long-term educational project at both these institutions, variants and pathologies that are essential in education.
    including fields as diverse as medicine, arts, and sciences. Many of these valuable bony elements are rare; some are
    In anatomy, the first stage of the project, described quite fragile and were up to now used only in demons-
    here, focused on producing highly accurate 3D prints of trations, with very limited opportunities for students to
    human bones. handle and examine them directly. Through the advent of
    3D printing, students are now able to handle and examine
    Educational resources their exact replicas which are printed in several copies.
    Acquiring in-depth knowledge of human structures and Finally, an important reason for printing bones is
    the ability to apply this knowledge within the clinical financial in nature. Once the appropriate infrastructure is
    context is an imperative in many medical disciplines (3, 4). in place, printing is the most cost-effective way of acquiring
    At Macquarie University and Western Sydney University a large and representative osteological sample.
    anatomy instruction is provided to a diverse group of
    students enrolled in medical and science degrees. Teaching 3D printing and its application
    is carried out through the utilisation of avariety of resources. 3D printing has, in the last two decades, been successfully
    In the anatomy laboratory various medical images are utilised in different medical fields, including education.
    utilised, together with anatomy models, prosected cada- In anatomy, high-quality 3D-printed replicas of cadaveric
    vers, and human bones. To the existing resources, a new material were recently produced for teaching purposes
    addition was made this year  3D prints of selected bones. (7, 8). Following these pioneering enterprises, in the
    These prints were made from the 3D surface scans of the project described here, 3D prints of bones were produced
    bones from the Macquarie University Skeletal Collection. and introduced to students in anatomy education. This
    There were several reasons for the decision to start was accomplished in several steps through a community
    the 3D-printing project with human bones. First, bones of practice between the two participating universities (9).
    almost naturally lend themselves for printing as they The project was a continuation of an existing collaboration
    are generally monochromatic and made of hard tissue. between the two universities in the field of biomedical
    Technically, this makes them the easiest component of the education. It capitalised on the existing resources and
    human body to duplicate in 3D printing, with high levels infrastructure (3D surface scanners, printers, skeletal
    of accuracy, preserving both visual and haptic values of collections, etc.), as well as the expertise at both univer-
    the real tissue. sities, enabling production of high-quality scans and prints
    Medical Education Online 2015. # 2015 Yousef AbouHashem et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons 1
    Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or
    format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
    Citation: Med Educ Online 2015, 20: 29847 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v20.29847
    (page number not for citation purpose)
    Yousef AbouHashem et al.

    and increasing the number and variation of the osteological resolution and the scans produced include the internal
    samples. structure of the bones which will also then mimic the actual
    Bones were scanned using the handheld Artec Spider weight of human bones if an appropriate consumable is
    3D surface scanner. The obtained 3D images in them- used for printing. This also eliminates the extra step of
    selves represent useful educational tools as they can be scanning bones and then using the software to create a
    easily downloaded from the universities’ databases and 3D file, thus saving time and increasing the resolution
    manipulated by students (e.g., enlarged, viewed from for printing.
    different perspectives, and annotated). 3D replicas were
    then printed at both universities using the following Conclusion
    3D printers: Objet Connex, Mojo, and the MakerBot 3D-printed bones are being successfully applied in anat-
    Replicator. Osteometric analysis was carried out and omy education at Macquarie University and Western
    revealed that there were no significant differences in the Sydney University. The application of 3D prints will
    shape and dimensions of the prints when compared to further ramify and expend into other subjects. Further-
    the real bones upon which they were made. Similar more, the 3D-printing project will soon involve other
    results were obtained in an earlier study that examined anatomical structures, particularly those that are difficult
    the accuracy of the 3D prints of cadaveric material (8). to observe and manipulate. The resources for medical
    The obtained 3D prints of bones were then used in education will continue to develop and evolve following
    anatomy laboratories at both participating universities. both technological development and increasing educa-
    Students had a chance to handle and examine all speci- tional demands for the development of clinical competen-
    mens, including the rare and fragile elements previously cies which, just as the world we live in, constantly change
    not available for inspection. It is planned that 3D prints and increase in their complexity.
    will also be utilised in pathology and radiology classes at
    both Macquarie University and Western Sydney University. Yousef AbouHashem
    Currently, another study is underway that focuses Faculty of Science and Engineering
    on the usefulness of these 3D prints in education. The Macquarie University
    study includes an investigation of students’ and teachers’ Sydney, Australia
    perceptions of the educational value of the 3D prints
    and projects in which volunteers will complete a series of Manisha Dayal
    anatomy tests on the anatomy models, 3D prints, and School of Science and Health
    real bones. Western Sydney University
    Future plans regarding this stream of 3D printing Campbelltown, Australia
    include scanning and printing of other anatomical
    structures, particularly those not easily visible on cada- Stephane Savanah
    vers and difficult to visualise. These will include, but not Faculty of Human Sciences
    be limited to, small elements (bones of the middle ear), Macquarie University
    cavities (sinuses, ventricles of the brain), and anatomical Sydney, Australia
    variations and pathologies. These 3D prints will be used
    in anatomy and a number of clinical subjects. Goran Štrkalj
    Furthermore, as 3D-printing technologies evolve and Faculty of Science and Engineering
    continue to reduce in cost, alternative printers and Macquarie University
    techniques will be explored. A range of options, such Sydney, Australia
    as vat photopolymerisation, binder jetting, and powder Email: [email protected]
    bed fusion, will allow printing of structures that more
    closely mimic the original resource. For example, choice
    References
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    2. Negi S, Dhiman S, Kumar Sharma R. Basics and applications
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    .STL files ready for 3D printing. This technology lends
    itself well to human bones as images are of very high All authors made equal contribution in writing this paper.

    2
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    Citation: Med Educ Online 2015, 20: 29847 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v20.29847
    Letter to the editor

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    Citation: Med Educ Online 2015, 20: 29847 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v20.29847 3


    (page number not for citation purpose)

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