• DOI:10.1177/0284185113494198
• Corpus ID: 25611398

Imaging requirements for medical applications of additive manufacturing

@article{Huotilainen2014ImagingRF,
  title={Imaging requirements for medical applications of additive manufacturing},
  author={Eero Huotilainen and Markku P. J. Paloheimo and Mika Salmi and Kaija-Stiina Paloheimo and Roy V. Bj{\"o}rkstrand and Jukka T. Tuomi and Antti Markkola and Antti A. M{\"a}kitie},
  journal={Acta Radiologica},
  year={2014},
  volume={55},
  pages={78 - 85}
}

• Eero Huotilainen, M. Paloheimo, +5 authors A. Mäkitie
• Published 1 February 2014
• Medicine
• Acta Radiologica

Additive manufacturing (AM), formerly known as rapid prototyping, is steadily shifting its focus from industrial prototyping to medical applications as AM processes, bioadaptive materials, and medical imaging technologies develop, and the benefits of the techniques gain wider knowledge among clinicians. This article gives an overview of the main requirements for medical imaging affected by needs of AM, as well as provides a brief literature review from existing clinical cases concentrating especially on the kind of radiology they required. As an example application, a pair of CT images of the facial skull base was turned into 3D models in order to illustrate the significance of suitable imaging parameters. Additionally, the model was printed into a preoperative medical model with a popular AM device. Successful clinical cases of AM are recognized to rely heavily on efficient collaboration between various disciplines – notably operating surgeons, radiologists, and engineers. The single main requirement separating tangible model creation from traditional imaging objectives such as diagnostics and preoperative planning is the increased need for anatomical accuracy in all three spatial dimensions, but depending on the application, other specific requirements may be present as well. This article essentially intends to narrow the potential communication gap between radiologists and engineers who work with projects involving AM by showcasing the overlap between the two disciplines.