3D Printed Anatomy Kits

$250k 3D Printed Anatomy Kits Are Making Medical Teaching More Accessible

Tess [www.3ders.org] | August 4, 2016

One of the beauties of 3D printing technology is that its applications can be developed simultaneously by a number of parties around the globe. For instance, while yesterday we wrote about how a team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in New York used 3D printing technologies to create patient-specific 3D printed anatomical models for doctor training, today we have a story about a medical team from an Australian university who have used the technology for a similar purpose but in a completely different way.
For the past two years, Paul McMenamin, the director of the Melbourne-based Monash University Centre for Human Anatomy Education, has been developing a kit of 3D printed life-like anatomical models to help train medical students. 

"Paul McMenamin says the 3D-printed parts are based on scans of a real body." http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-04/3d-printed-body-parts-help-train-medical-students/7690034

"Clubfoot, or Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (CTEV), is a congenital deformity that affects 1 in 1,000 children in the United States alone (the rate is much higher in developing countries). The condition, which is distinguished by one or both feet being turned inwards and upwards, can result in serious mobility problems if left untreated." "The research team, led by Professor Kenji Shimada, have developed what they call a “medical phantom model”, which uses 3D printing to create a realistic looking and feeling hands-on training model for surgeons. By combining a hard bone-like material with a softer gel material, the researchers have found a way to mimic the feel of human tissue and bone, which could have wide applications for orthopedic surgery training practices. So far, the research team has used their 3D printing method to focus on one particular type of surgery: clubfoot correction surgery." Source: http://www.3ders.org//articles/20160803-3d-printed-medical-phantom-models-are-advancing-training-for-clubfoot-treatments.html

<more at http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160804-3d-printed-anatomy-kits-are-making-medical-teaching-more-accessible.html; related articles and links; http://www.3ders.org//articles/20160803-3d-printed-medical-phantom-models-are-advancing-training-for-clubfoot-treatments.html (3D printed 'medical phantom models' are advancing training for Clubfoot treatments. August 3, 2016) and http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-04/3d-printed-body-parts-help-train-medical-students/7690034 (World-first replica 3D body parts teach medical students anatomy. August 3, 2016)>