Medical 3D printing – the future is here (original) (raw)

Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 3D printing Special Interest Group (SIG): guidelines for medical 3D printing and appropriateness for clinical scenarios

3D Printing in Medicine

Medical three-dimensional (3D) printing has expanded dramatically over the past three decades with growth in both facility adoption and the variety of medical applications. Consideration for each step required to create accurate 3D printed models from medical imaging data impacts patient care and management. In this paper, a writing group representing the Radiological Society of North America Special Interest Group on 3D Printing (SIG) provides recommendations that have been vetted and voted on by the SIG active membership. This body of work includes appropriate clinical use of anatomic models 3D printed for diagnostic use in the care of patients with specific medical conditions. The recommendations provide guidance for approaches and tools in medical 3D printing, from image acquisition, segmentation of the desired anatomy intended for 3D printing, creation of a 3D-printable model, and post-processing of 3D printed anatomic models for patient care.

Advances in Modern Medicine: Is 3D printing the way ahead?

Orthopedic Research Online Journal, 2018

Patient specific antibiotic impregnated articulating cement spacer. 2. Patient-specific jigs/ instrumentation: to improve the precision and clinical outcome of surgical procedures. 3. Bio printing & tissue engineering: A. Dermal skin grafts substitutes printed on 3-D printers into host recipients [8] B. Cartilage defects 3D printing [9] 4. Anatomical models and simulation tools: A. Practice models for difficult-to-visualize fractures and deformities to help explain the patients or students the details of the surgery.

Applications of 3d Printing in Medicine

The term 3D printing is used to describe a manufacturing approach that builds objects one layer at a time, adding multiple layers to form an object. This process is more correctly described as additive manufacturing, and is also referred to as rapid prototyping or Solid free form technology This technology is basically an application of Radiology in which the normal 3dimensional objects are viewed in a 2dimensional system,With the advent of this technology the 3dimensional objects are converted into 3dimensional images which are later on printed accordingly with accurate precision. 3D printer definition: It is a machine that makes a 3D solid object based on the input drawings, as a 2D printer prints a letter or picture. It is the same principle used in a 2D printer in which 2D image (letter or picture) is formed by spraying ink onto paper if a digitized file is sent. In a 2D printer, it moves forward and backward (x-axis) and left and right (y-axis). However, in a 3D printer, up and down (z-axis) movement is added here, and a solid object is made on the basis of the input 3D drawing. The Key Applications include 1. Dentistry 2. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 3. Engineered Tissue Models 4. Medical Devices 5. Anatomical Models 6. Drug formulations 7. Anthropology 8. Forensics I. Dentistry Digital dentistry is one of the rapidly expanding segments of the Additive manufacturing technologies. Digital dentistry has been around for over 50 years since CAD/ CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture) technology was introduced in the 1970s to replace traditional manual operations. CAD/CAM in dentistry is often associated with subtractive manufacturing, which involves 3D scanning, designing and milling from solid blocks of ceramic. Despite its popularity, subtractive manufacturing does not completely replace the traditional manual methods as it lacks resolution and accuracy. In contrast, 3D printing can create sophisticated components in mass production, which makes it an attractive technique for dentistry. Over the past 5 years, 3D printing technology has changed dentistry dramatically due to the progress in intraoral scanning technology, accessibility of 3D printers and the development of printable biomaterials. It is now possible to create restorations, physical. Today, AM techniques in dentistry are moving primarily into two directions: 1. photopolymerisation 2. powder-based printing

3D printing materials and their use in medical education: a review of current technology and trends for the future

BMJ simulation & technology enhanced learning, 2018

3D printing is a new technology in constant evolution. It has rapidly expanded and is now being used in health education. Patient-specific models with anatomical fidelity created from imaging dataset have the potential to significantly improve the knowledge and skills of a new generation of surgeons. This review outlines five technical steps required to complete a printed model: They include (1) selecting the anatomical area of interest, (2) the creation of the 3D geometry, (3) the optimisation of the file for the printing and the appropriate selection of (4) the 3D printer and (5) materials. All of these steps require time, expertise and money. A thorough understanding of educational needs is therefore essential in order to optimise educational value. At present, most of the available printing materials are rigid and therefore not optimum for flexibility and elasticity unlike biological tissue. We believe that the manipuation and tuning of material properties through the creation o...

The Role of 3D Printing in Medical Applications: A State of the Art

Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 2019

Three-dimensional (3D) printing refers to a number of manufacturing technologies that generate a physical model from digital information. Medical 3D printing was once an ambitious pipe dream. However, time and investment made it real. Nowadays, the 3D printing technology represents a big opportunity to help pharmaceutical and medical companies to create more specific drugs, enabling a rapid production of medical implants, and changing the way that doctors and surgeons plan procedures. Patient-specific 3D-printed anatomical models are becoming increasingly useful tools in today’s practice of precision medicine and for personalized treatments. In the future, 3D-printed implantable organs will probably be available, reducing the waiting lists and increasing the number of lives saved. Additive manufacturing for healthcare is still very much a work in progress, but it is already applied in many different ways in medical field that, already reeling under immense pressure with regards to o...

A Review on 3D printing Technology Application in Healthcare

IJRnDESM, 2019

Three-dimensional (3D) printing refers to a number of manufacturing technologies that generate a physical model from digital information. Medical 3D printing was once an ambitious pipe dream. However, time and investment made it real. Nowadays, the 3D printing technology represents a big opportunity to help pharmaceutical and medical companies to create more specific drugs, enabling a rapid production of medical implants, and changing the way that doctors and surgeons plan procedures. Patient-specific 3D-printed anatomical models are becoming increasingly useful tools in today’s practice of precision medicine and for personalized treatments. In the future, 3D-printed implantable organs will probably be available, reducing the waiting lists and increasing the number of lives saved. Additive manufacturing for healthcare is still very much a work in progress, but it is already applied in many different ways in medical field that, already reeling under immense pressure with regards to optimal performance and reduced costs, will stand to gain unprecedented benefits from this good-as-gold technology. The goal of this analysis is to demonstrate by a deep research of the 3D- printing applications in medical field the usefulness and drawbacks and how powerful technology it is.

The clinical use of 3D printing in surgery

Updates in Surgery, 2018

The use of 3D printing is gaining considerable success in many medical fields including surgery. Here, the technology was introduced for increasing the level of anatomical understanding thanks to the inherent characteristics of 3D printed models: these are highly accurate and customized reproductions, being obtained from own radiological imaging of patients, and are solid graspable objects allowing for free manipulation on part of the user. The resulting tactile feedbacks significantly help the comprehension of anatomical details, especially the spatial relations between structures. In this regard, they proved to be more effective than conventional 2D imaging and 3D virtual models. To date, an increasing number of applications have been successfully tested in many surgical disciplines, extending the range of possible uses to pre-operative planning, counselling with patients, education of students and residents, surgical training, intraoperative navigation and others; in recent years, 3D printing was also employed for creating surgical tools and reproducing anatomical parts to be used, respectively, as templates or guides for specific tasks of the surgery and individualized implantable materials in reconstructive procedures. Future expectations concern on one side the reduction of manufacturing costs and time to further increase the accessibility of 3D printing, while on the other the development of novel techniques and materials suitable for 3D printing of biological structures by which recreating the architecture and functionality of real human organs and tissues.

3D printing in medical imaging and healthcare services

Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences, 2018

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has demonstrated a huge potential for the future of medicine. Since its introduction, it has been used in various areas, for example building anatomical models, personalising medical devices and implants, aiding in precision medical interventions and the latest development, 3D bioprinting. This commentary is provided to outline the current use of 3D printing in medical imaging and its future directions for advancing the healthcare services.