3D printing from diagnostic images: a radiologist’s primer with an emphasis on musculoskeletal imaging—putting the 3D printing of pathology into the hands of every physician

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has recently erupted into the medical arena due to decreased costs and increased availability of printers and software tools. Due to lack of detailed information in the medical literature on the methods for 3D printing, we have reviewed the medical and engineering literature on the various methods for 3D printing and compiled them into a practical “how to” format, thereby enabling the novice to start 3D printing with very limited funds. We describe (1) background knowledge, (2) imaging parameters, (3) software, (4) hardware, (5) post-processing, and (6) financial aspects required to cost-effectively reproduce a patient’s disease ex vivo so that the patient, engineer and surgeon may hold the anatomy and associated pathology in their hands.

[1]  Paolo Cignoni,et al.  MeshLab: an Open-Source Mesh Processing Tool , 2008, Eurographics Italian Chapter Conference.

[2]  Ming-Chuan Leu,et al.  Progress in Additive Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping , 1998 .

[3]  Dietmar W Hutmacher,et al.  Scaffold-based tissue engineering: rationale for computer-aided design and solid free-form fabrication systems. , 2004, Trends in biotechnology.

[4]  Michael J Thali,et al.  Getting in touch--3D printing in forensic imaging. , 2011, Forensic science international.

[5]  Richard A. Robb,et al.  Plan to procedure: combining 3D templating with rapid prototyping to enhance pedicle screw placement , 2010, Medical Imaging.

[6]  Barry Berman,et al.  3D printing: the new industrial revolution , 2012, IEEE Engineering Management Review.

[7]  Frederik L. Giesel,et al.  3D printing based on imaging data: review of medical applications , 2010, International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery.

[8]  Fabian Bamberg,et al.  Metal Artifact Reduction by Dual-Energy Computed Tomography Using Energetic Extrapolation: A Systematically Optimized Protocol , 2012, Investigative radiology.

[9]  Jean-Pierre Kruth,et al.  Composites by rapid prototyping technology , 2010 .

[10]  Timothy C Ryken,et al.  Rapid prototype patient-specific drill template for cervical pedicle screw placement , 2007, Computer aided surgery : official journal of the International Society for Computer Aided Surgery.

[11]  Hod Lipson,et al.  3-D Printing the History of Mechanisms , 2005 .

[12]  Roland Hess,et al.  The Essential Blender: Guide to 3D Creation with the Open Source Suite Blender , 2007 .

[13]  Aaron Hertzmann,et al.  Learning 3D mesh segmentation and labeling , 2010, SIGGRAPH 2010.

[14]  Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva,et al.  Dimensional error in selective laser sintering and 3D-printing of models for craniomaxillary anatomy reconstruction. , 2008, Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery : official publication of the European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery.

[15]  David Bak,et al.  Rapid prototyping or rapid production? 3D printing processes move industry towards the latter , 2003 .

[16]  Kai Hormann,et al.  Surface Parameterization: a Tutorial and Survey , 2005, Advances in Multiresolution for Geometric Modelling.

[17]  M Bohner,et al.  Structural and material approaches to bone tissue engineering in powder-based three-dimensional printing. , 2011, Acta biomaterialia.

[18]  Vladimir Mironov,et al.  Organ printing: computer-aided jet-based 3D tissue engineering. , 2003, Trends in biotechnology.

[19]  M. Markert,et al.  A beating heart model 3D printed from specific patient data , 2007, 2007 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[20]  Jayanthi Parthasarathy,et al.  3D modeling, custom implants and its future perspectives in craniofacial surgery , 2014, Annals of maxillofacial surgery.

[21]  Filip Ilievski,et al.  Soft robotics for chemists. , 2011, Angewandte Chemie.

[22]  Christoph Weder,et al.  Reinforcement of stereolithographic resins for rapid prototyping with cellulose nanocrystals. , 2012, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[23]  Joan Horvath,et al.  A Brief History of 3D Printing , 2014 .

[24]  J. Carroll,et al.  Rapid Prototyping: A New Tool in Understanding and Treating Structural Heart Disease , 2008, Circulation.

[25]  M. Waisman,et al.  [Intra-osseous regional anesthesia as an alternative to intravenous regional anesthesia]. , 1982, Harefuah.

[26]  A. K. Sood,et al.  Parametric appraisal of mechanical property of fused deposition modelling processed parts , 2010 .

[27]  Osman Ratib,et al.  OsiriX: An Open-Source Software for Navigating in Multidimensional DICOM Images , 2004, Journal of Digital Imaging.

[28]  Ming C. Lin,et al.  Free-flowing granular materials with two-way solid coupling , 2010, SIGGRAPH 2010.

[29]  M. Cima,et al.  Mechanical properties of dense polylactic acid structures fabricated by three dimensional printing. , 1996, Journal of biomaterials science. Polymer edition.

[30]  Andoni P. Toms,et al.  Reducing the effects of metal artefact using high keV monoenergetic reconstruction of dual energy CT (DECT) in hip replacements , 2013, Skeletal Radiology.

[31]  M. Roffman,et al.  Intraosseous regional anesthesia as an alternative to intravenous regional anesthesia. , 1995, The Journal of trauma.

[32]  Adir Cohen,et al.  Mandibular reconstruction using stereolithographic 3-dimensional printing modeling technology. , 2009, Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics.

[33]  Paulo Jorge Da Silva bartolo,et al.  Stereolithography: Materials, Processes and Applications , 2011 .

[34]  I. Zein,et al.  Fused deposition modeling of novel scaffold architectures for tissue engineering applications. , 2002, Biomaterials.

[35]  Brian Evans,et al.  Practical 3D Printers , 2012, Apress.