Rapid prototyping technology in medicine—basics and applications

✍ Scribed by R. Petzold; H.-F. Zeilhofer; W.A. Kalender

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 923 KB
• Volume: 23
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0895-6111
• DOI: 10.1016/s0895-6111(99)00025-7

✦ Synopsis

Using medical models built with Rapid Prototyping (RP) technologies represents a new approach for surgical planning and simulation. These techniques allow one to reproduce anatomical objects as 3D physical models, which give the surgeon a realistic impression of complex structures before a surgical intervention. The shift from the visual to the visual-tactile representation of anatomical objects introduces a new kind of interaction called 'touch to comprehend'. As can be seen, from the presented case studies of maxillo-cranio-facial surgery, the RP models are very well suited for use in the diagnosis and the precise preoperative simulation of skeleton modifying interventions.