3D Systems new Bespoke Modeling service, a cloud-based 3D medical modeling application, continues to break new ground in patient education and communication. Dr. Howard Goodman read about the new service on the web and realized that the ability to print 3D models directly from DICOM data would be very useful for an upcoming case. In this case, his patient had two grapefruit-sized calcified tumors located on his pelvis bone. The surgery involved would be long and complex, and the CT scan display on the monitor just didn’t communicate the case very well.
(Image above: the CT scan data visualized in the Bespoke Modeling system)
Dr. Goodman is chief of musculoskeletal oncology at Maimonides Bone and Joint Center in Brooklyn, NY. He is an orthopaedist specially trained in taking care of benign and malignant bone and soft tissue tumors in both children and adults.
Bespoke Modeling is an online, easy-to-use service by 3D Systems that allows the rapid and immediate upload of CT scan data from which completed 3D models are quickly and accurately created, and can be exported for local printing or printed using the cloud and shipped directly to your door.
(Image above: Resizing and handling the data is easy within the Bespoke Modeling online system, and ordering a print on the cloud is simple, fast and effective.)
Dr. Goodman uploaded his DICOM data to Bespoke Modeling and with a few button clicks created a 3D color bone model that was ready to print. At this point, the data can be downloaded for local printing or can be printed through the Bespoke Modeling service and shipped. Dr. Goodman opted for cloud-printing his data. Using the interface inside Bespoke Modeling, he tested different sizes of model in ‘Print Preview’, using a slider-bar that resizes the model and automatically updates the cost to print. Since this was a purely educational & communication tool, Dr. Goodman opted for a 50% scale model that cost $169. Selecting the ‘Cloud Print’ button, Dr. Goodman completed his shipping and billing information and ordered the model.
(Image above: demonstrating the procedure using precise bone models based on CT scan data helps increase patient communication and understanding.)
“Besides the obvious advantage of having a physical model to take us a step beyond a patient's abstract imaging, I found the 3D model invaluable in patient education, surgical planning, and physician training. Having the model in the operating room allowed us a more thorough understanding of the tumor and its proximity to other vital structures” said Dr. Goodman.
You can find out more about Bespoke Modeling here.