Logistics of Three-dimensional Printing

Abstract

The Association of University Radiologists Radiology Research Alliance Task Force on three-dimensional (3D) printing presents a review of the logistic considerations for establishing a clinical service using this new technology, specifically focused on implications for radiology. Specific topics include printer selection for 3D printing, software selection, creating a 3D model for printing, providing a 3D printing service, research directions, and opportunities for radiologists to be involved in 3D printing. A thorough understanding of the technology and its capabilities is necessary as the field of 3D printing continues to grow. Radiologists are in the unique position to guide this emerging technology and its use in the clinical arena.

A Preliminary Investigation into the Accuracy of 3D Modeling and 3D Printing in Forensic Anthropology Evidence Reconstruction,

“…Consequently, printer resolution was always greater than the CT resolution for cranium and clavicle, and greater, or the same, resolution for the metatarsal. As a result, the resolution of the 3D printers should not have affected the accuracy of the 3D prints, and the major influencing factor was the reconstruction algorithms and segmentation protocol, agreeing with previous conclusions .…”

“…7). Despite the SLA cranium print being split into parts and assembled postprinting, the print does not appear to have been affected in its accuracy which agrees with previous findings stating that 3D scanning and modeling parameters are more important factors than the resolution of a 3D printer (12).…”

“…The DICOM data were reconstructed using 3D Slicer (3D Slicer, Brigham Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, US) , a free, open‐source, cross‐platform program. The soft tissue CT reconstruction was segmented using threshold values (based on the radio‐density of the structure), and the level adjusted to include the desired proportion of bone (so as to not lose detail) . A surface model was generated that was automatically smoothed (using 3D Slicer's Editor Module and Make Model tool), and then exported as an STL (stereolithography, or standard tessellation language) file.…”

“…3D Slicer proved sufficient for producing accurate virtual models; however, with numerous software packages available for modeling CT data, it is important to consider the impact of the software used and the algorithms inherent within them. Hodgdon et al (12) suggest using software approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure model accuracy. The FDA has issued guidance on 3D printing in medical contexts to ensure safe and effective use (12), and these could prove useful for ensuring the accuracy when producing 3D prints for use in a court of law.…”

Three-Dimensional Printing of Cell Exclusion Spacers (CES) for Use in Motility Assays

“…Several in vitro studies have now incorporated antibiotics, hormones, and iodine into medical devices and implants such as catheters, meshes, and stents (4–8). Previously (9) reported in vitro studies show that 3D printed vascular stent constructs could be iodized, which made these constructs highly resistant to supporting bacterial growth in culture assays.…”