Complex veterinary cases are made easier through 3D printing technology

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academics 2:38 Complex veterinary cases are made easier through 3D printing technology

By:

Elizabeth McVoy

10 Jul 2018 483

The University Libraries at Virginia Tech and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine partner to create 3D models for complex surgical cases.

Dr. Otto Lanz, professor of small animal surgery, and Kiri Debose, head of the Veterinary Medicine Library, have been working together to blend the technologies both in the classroom and operating room. By using several CT scans, Kiri converts 2D images into an exact 3D model, which is then used by Dr. Lanz as a teaching and learning tool on difficult cases.

This exciting technology forges new ways to engage students and animal owners both pre and post-op. The 3D models give everyone a better understanding of the anatomy of the animal, the disease process taking place, and the path to address the issue.

[00:00:02] >> There's a really neat collaboration between university libraries and the faculty here we got a 3D printer back in August of 2017 and then we started offering full service to students and faculty in October 2017. (We) were able to provide a technology that might not readily be accessible and the faculty are able to take it and go new directions with it. [00:00:23] This is a unique program as far as I'm aware of I've only seen one other vet school that has been using a 3D printer pretty regularly but not in collaboration with their library. The 3D models allow surgeons to be more prepared as they go into the surgery. 2D x-rays you can see stuff but you can see everything and so when you do the actual C.T. scans and get it in a 3D model where you can pull it up twisted in your hands and say ' there's this nodule I didn't know about or I didn't see how this was connected and it's different and I was expecting based on the 2D model now you have that 3D. [00:00:51] So when you go into surgery you're more prepared. We can actually do a mock surgery before we do the real surgery and therefore we have this to better idea of how the implants are going to fit or how this is going to work. We can show the owners as well and the owners like to look at it because when we show them just a picture of their dog's hip it's a one dimensional picture and they can kind of get an idea about it but when you come in and you're like