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Facilitating surgeon understanding of complex anatomy using a three-dimensional printed model.
Barrett P Cromeens1, William C Ray2, Brad Hoehne3
1Department of General Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
The Journal of Surgical Research
|August 16, 2017
Summary
Three-dimensional prints (3DP) significantly improve surgeon understanding of complex anatomy, shape, and scale compared to CT scans. This surgical planning tool enables faster comprehension, aiding complex cases.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Planning and Medical Imaging
- Anatomical Visualization Technologies
- Pediatric Surgery Innovations
Background:
- Surgeon understanding of complex anatomy and decision-making is anecdotally improved by 3-dimensional prints (3DP).
- The quantifiable benefits of 3DP for surgeons and patients remain largely unassessed.
- This study quantifies the impact of 3DP on understanding complex anatomy versus computed tomography (CT) and CT with digital reconstruction (CT+DR).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of 3D printed models against CT scans and CT+DR in enhancing surgeon understanding of complex anatomy.
- To evaluate the impact of 3DP on the accuracy and speed of anatomical identification and spatial comprehension.
- To provide evidence-based recommendations for the use of 3DP in surgical planning.
Main Methods:
- A 3D printed model was created from CT data of pygopagus twins.
- Twenty-one pediatric surgery trainees and attendings assessed anatomy identification, point-to-point distances, scale, and shape using 3DP, CT, and CT+DR.
- Performance metrics included accuracy, speed, and qualitative assessment of understanding.
Main Results:
- Three-dimensional prints (3DP) significantly improved accuracy for scale and shape identification compared to CT scans (P < 0.05).
- Anatomical identification accuracy was significantly higher with 3DP, despite overall inconsistency.
- Surgical trainees and attendings completed the assessment significantly faster using 3DP (6.6 min) versus CT (18.9 min) or CT+DR (14.9 min) (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Three-dimensional prints (3DP) enhance the understanding of anatomical shape, scale, and identification more effectively than CT or CT+DR.
- 3DP facilitates significantly faster comprehension of complex anatomy, crucial for efficient surgical planning.
- The study recommends considering 3D printed models for surgical planning in complex cases requiring multidisciplinary coordination.
