3D Printing in Medical Imaging

3D Printing in Medical Imaging

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3D Printing in Medical Imaging

Three-dimensional printing (3D) is present-day technological advancement and process that makes three dimensional solid objects emerge from digital files. 3D printing has developed beyond the common technology on the edge of mainstream society. Now it is penetrating into healthcare therapeutics, thus making radiology able to print 3D models from MRI and CT scan. CT scan and MRI technology have become a real revolution in healthcare and medical intervention.

The above is a process that borrows much information from additive processes which entail creating an object by laying down several successive layers of a material to an extent where the entire object is formed (Tack, Victor, Gemmel & Annemans, 2016). 3-D mostly involves a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the object. It is a technology that is capable of making a virtual design of an object through computer-aided design strategies in conjunction with 3D modeling program. This paper seeks to analyze the current 3D technology as applied in medical imaging and how it focuses on therapy using the CT scan and MRI approaches.

Medical imaging is the backbone of the achievements of the entire pharmaceutical industry and therapeutic approaches. 3D printing has enhanced the aspect that enables medical professionals to be able to treat the only seen computerized ailments in the human body. It is done through computerized tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and several other modalities that makes it possible for doctors to view the patient's internal structure (Tack, Victor, Gemmel & Annemans, 2016). Through CT scan and MRI technologies, 3D printing enables the practice of human therapy to be a success since it offers a chance for the doctors to have a look at the patient’s inside structure; thus, they can identify the source of the patients’ ailments. Previously, the use of 2D imaging allowed the formation of black and white images that were not efficient in clearly identifying the correct complications that patients had; thus, therapy was a hard task for most medical practitioners.

To enhance three-dimensional printouts, the initial step is to design computerized 3-D model of an object to be scanned using computer-aided design program. After perfecting the model, the 3D printer is set to read the parameters of the shape and design, thus creating one layer at a time. It employs the aspect of additive manufacturing in developing the images printouts (Tess, 2016). The application of 3-D printing in healthcare is primarily used in the study of human anatomy, making it possible for doctors to view the patient in three dimensions, which enables to find the most suitable approach towards their treatment and recovery (Tack, Victor, Gemmel & Annemans, 2016). From CT scan and MRI, biomedical engineering has been enhanced through 3-D ultrasound and 3-D rotational angiography. It involves high-quality and detailed images in making designs to ensure that the results of the 3-D images are perfect and real.

Three-dimension printing has made it easy for the improvement of implants from the previous traditional implants. At the moment, medical-implant providers are now using industrial printers to develop custom implants for patients who tend to have difficulty in finding the conventional implant solutions. Also, patient-specific data can be used by medical practitioners to capture, manipulate and apply the available physical objects through 3D current technological advancement. Through CT scan and MRI, physicians can make models of all possible body organs, which makes it easy for 3D printing, enabling doctors to work extremely fast than before.

3-Dimension printing reduces operating time in surgery and lowers risks, errors and complications, which eading to better outcomes for the patients. For instance, the current improvement makes it easy for doctors to use a cranium implant that identifies the exact size of the affected body part or area before performing therapy. This enhances accuracy and efficiency in healthcare. For that matter, 3D printing reduces ant unintended complications during surgery.

The current improvements have made it easy for 3-D technology to enable some forms of transplants to be successful. For instance, the case of prosthetic hands and trans-radial prosthetics, as outlined below, shows how great is 3-D technology in medical printing and therapy. Specifically, 3-D printing enables the formation of perfect models of the body, making an ideal match for prosthetics. It has also enabled making prints of the human body in less than 24 hours, hence turning therapy as accurate as possible. According to Zadpoor and Malda (2017), “someone with a printer can print a child’s new device in a few hours”, thus enabling prosthetics to take place smoothly hence incorporating unique designs for each patient.

Currently, CT scan and MRI has enabled the advancement of 3D printing to go further and enhance various medical devices. For instance, hearing devices are now printed in 3-D and are now customized to the user. At the moment, scanning, printing, and modeling as the previous CT scan and MRI approaches are made to be time-saving. It is worth appealing to note that what was usually taking a week is now able to be done in less than 24 hours. Michalski and Ross (2014) state that another medical application of 3-D printing is an achievement that was made at the University of Michigan by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, which created bioresorbable splints that have helped around three babies who were suffering from trachea-bronchomalacia that is a complication threatening life.

Additionally, at St. Louis Children Hospital, surgeons applied 3-D printed models of the toddler’s heart to make plans for relocating heart vessels of a child. The vessels were squeezing and compressing the esophagus and the trachea of the child, thus creating a complication in the normal respiration. Similarly, at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine, similar heart models were done with several other s-D printed tumors that helped in planning the removal of the tumors while protecting the brain cells.

3-D printing has enhanced bioactive filaments, catheters, chemotherapeutic agents and chemotherapy beads through the process of radiology to treat a wide variety of patients. The outlook for the medical use of three-dimensional printing has passed through several developments and now various specialists utilize 3-D printing in an extremely advanced manner (Tess, 2016). Regarding the research done by Michalski and Ross (2014), it has come to the world’s notice that patients around the world are now using 3-D models as surety of their healing and effective therapeutic intervention. Also, the medical and prosthetic field has primarily involved the use of 3-D printing through the creation of models and employment of CT scan and MRI approaches to applying all possible developed technology in 3-D printing.

CT scan, MRI technology, and 3-D printing have enhanced medical therapeutics to the point that organ transplants have been made accessible and as perfect as possible. Out of living tissues replacement of organs is now achieved, and in that case, most medical facilities have begun venturing into the technology, making life and value of life reinstated from unbecoming ailments (Ventola, 2014). The radiology department has made its aspects of finding a solution to people’s problem come home by employing various therapeutic and medical engineering perspectives in their activities as a way of making the concept of quality chasm via through Lean Six Sigma perspective to be achieved.

3-D printing has allowed revolutionary individualized medical treatment to take effect, and with time the technology will even be able to make replacement organs. Regarding Michalski and Ross (2014), 3-D imaging has transformed therapy to the point of making life be like an anatomic image; thus, it has brought medical imaging to a real tangible physical representation of the anatomy of the patient’s body. CT and MRI scanned images are used as the desired subsets of patients’ anatomy and can be printed in a more precise real 3-D forms that show an epic structure of human anatomy. Through CT and MRI scans, 3-D imaging has enabled the current technology in healthcare to focus on technically challenging interventions that would require a trial run in a patient which sometimes resulted in errors.

CT scan and MRI technology have made it easy for the creation of real revolution in healthcare and medical intervention. For Instance, through the application of CT and MRI scans, 3-D imaging has been able to form models and has enhanced transplants, implants and other surgical processes to work our first and with accuracy. Medical imaging is the foundation of the accomplishments of medicinal industry and therapeutic methodologies. 3D printing has improved the perspective that empowers medicinal experts to have the capacity to treat the principal seen mechanized infirmities in the human body through modernized tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and a few different modalities that makes it workable for specialists to see the patients interior structure.

References

Michalski, M. H., & Ross, J. S. (2014). The shape of things to come: 3D printing in medicine. Jama, 312(21), 2213-2214.

Tack, P., Victor, J., Gemmel, P., & Annemans, L. (2016). 3D-printing techniques in a medical setting: a systematic literature review. Biomedical Engineering Online, 15,115. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.csulb.edu/ehost