Dear Advanced Visualization Insider,
3D printing continues to extend its reach into medicine -- having found its way into numerous exhibits, refresher courses, poster presentations, and scientific sessions at the recent RSNA 2017 meeting in Chicago.
One way to maximize the viability of 3D printing is to curb barriers to its implementation, such as by lowering the cost of creating multicolor 3D-printed models. Researchers from Yale New Haven Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh explained their artful technique using low-cost stereolithography printers at RSNA 2017. Our coverage of their work is this issue's Insider Exclusive.
Several other studies have uncovered new methods for incorporating 3D printing into medical practice: A team from New York demonstrated a way to validate fractional flow reserve CT using 3D printing, German researchers optimized the quantification of SPECT/CT scans with 3D-printed kidneys, and a group from Maryland used 3D-printed ear prosthetics to improve surgery for hearing loss.
These and other advances in the technology have spurred the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to release a new guidance on the 3D printing of medical products. To take part in further 3D printing breakthroughs, learn how radiologists can optimize their role in the field.
Cinematic rendering also left RSNA 2017 attendees with a promising impression. Are cinematic-rendered images little more than fancy pictures, or do they signal an impending shift in how radiologists will perform their work in the future? This video interview with Dr. Elliot Fishman from Johns Hopkins University discusses the possibilities.
3D modeling, portable 3D scans, virtual reality, and motion-sensing gaming technology have also made notable headway in radiology in recent months, leaving physicians wondering if the future of radiology is augmented -- a loaded query responded to by a University of California, San Francisco radiologist in this video interview.
What other developments in visualization await radiologists and the imaging universe? Head over to the Advanced Visualization Community to stay on top of related news.
