When there’s a problem in the brain, it pays to be precise — every millimeter counts with something like a tumor or blocked artery. But it can be extremely difficult to understand the exact shape and size of these things, which makes them difficult to diagnose and treat as well. But 3D printing a replica of the growth or damage may make doctors may be better able to do so.
That’s the suggestion made by Dr Darin Okuda (above), who recently published [1]some work showing the effectiveness of this printing method in diagnosing and understanding brain lesions found in multiple sclerosis patients.
Okuda’s team analyzed MRI scans of MS-affected brains and printed out exact copies of the lesions, or damaged areas, detected in them. These were given to people who would normally have just used 2D images or a 3D reconstruction on a screen to diagnose or monitor this type of thing.
“What you see on plain 2-dimensional views does not give one a clear understanding as to the true shape of the lesion itself,” Okuda told me. “By studying lesions in 3D, we are looking at these findings in an entirely different way, assessing their shape and surface characteristics.”
They identified a number of features that distinguish MS lesions from other types of brain damage, such as asymmetry and complex surface structures. These weren’t always obvious from scans and the transition to 3D let the participants more easily perceive them.
“Prior to the release of our work, we were describing multiple sclerosis lesions incorrectly,” said Okuda. “Lesions from MS are still described as being ‘ovoid’ in shape and ‘well circumscribed’ in character. Based on our 3D work, we know that this is not the case. We...