Patient Education for Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: Preliminary Experience Using 3D-Printed Clinical Imaging Data

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Biomedical Engineering
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Patient compliance with elective Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) surgeries is often limited by a lack of understanding regarding diagnosis and treatment.
• Improved patient comprehension is crucial for better medical outcomes and quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of advanced 3D printed multimaterial replicas of human nasal sinus anatomy as an educational aid during physician consultations.
• To determine if using these 3D models improves patient understanding of their condition and treatment plan.

Main Methods:

• Development of a patient-specific 3D nasal sinus model using polyjet 3D printing technology from clinical CT scan data.
• A randomized prospective study involving 100 ENT surgical candidates, with 50 patients using the 3D model as an educational tool and 50 in a control group.
• Evaluation of patient-reported outcomes, including understanding of anatomy, disease state, treatment options, and overall visualization effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Patients who viewed the 3D education model showed statistically significant improvements in understanding their physician's explanation of treatment options (p = 0.020).
• Self-rated understanding of anatomy (p = 0.043) and disease state (p = 0.016) were significantly higher in the group using the 3D model.
• The 3D visualization was rated as significantly more effective by patients who utilized the model (p = 0.007).

Conclusions:

• Advanced polyjet 3D printing can create accurate, multimaterial anatomical models for patient education.
• 3D printed nasal sinus models serve as effective educational tools, significantly enhancing patient comprehension and satisfaction in ENT consultations.
• The use of 3D models represents a valuable advancement in patient-physician communication for ENT surgery candidates.