REAL LIFE NEWS: 3D PRINTING ALLOWS SURGEONS TO PRACTICE BEFORE CUTTING
by Hazed
Here’s a brilliant idea that will speed up the time taken to complete complicated operations – and presumably make them safer, too. Using 3D printing, medical imaging and software which combines the two, surgeons can practice on models of the body parts they plan to operate on.
A company called Replica 3DM developed the system with Salisbury District Hospital, and are now offering the service to NHS hospitals across the UK. It works by taking the data file produced by an MRI or CT scan and converting it to a format which can be used by 3D modelling programs. The model is then cleaned up on the computer to remove artefacts which were produced by the scanning process.
Replica 3DM then give the doctor a quote for the 3D printing; assuming it’s accepted, the 3D model is printed out in hard white plastic and sent to the doctor. The process takes about five days.
The models can then be used as surgical guides, for example to test implants and make sure they fit before surgery. See the source link below for some pictures of models.
It’s an expensive process but then money is saved by making the resulting operation quicker.
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08/27/measure_twice_cut_once/
