Anatomical Engineering and 3D Printing for Surgery and Medical Devices: International Review and Future Exponential...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Innovation
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is increasingly vital in medicine, particularly for surgical applications.
• 3DP utilizes diverse techniques and materials tailored to patient needs, enabling the creation of custom medical devices.
• Medical imaging, including computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is integral to 3DP for designing patient-specific anatomical models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of innovative three-dimensional printing applications in surgery.
• To explore the use of 3DP across various anatomical systems: nervous, craniofacial, cardiovascular, digestive, genitourinary, and musculoskeletal.
• To analyze the integration of 3DP with augmented, mixed, and virtual reality for enhanced surgical planning and training.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of international cooperation studies on 3DP in surgery.
• Analysis of 3DP applications across different anatomical systems.
• Examination of the synergy between 3DP and immersive technologies (AR, MR, VR).

Main Results:

• 3DP enables personalized surgical treatments and improved preoperative and intraoperative planning.
• Integration with AR, MR, and VR significantly enhances medical training and surgical precision.
• Development of specialized 3DP devices and tools for space surgery is explored to address unique challenges.

Conclusions:

• Three-dimensional printing offers transformative potential in surgical specialties, improving patient outcomes.
• The combination of 3DP with advanced visualization technologies represents the future of personalized medicine and surgical education.
• 3DP is crucial for advancing surgical capabilities, including in extreme environments like space.