Batuhan Bahadır1, O. Şahap Atik2, Ulunay Kanatlı1, Baran Sarıkaya3

1Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye
2Turkish Joint Diseases Foundation, Ankara, Türkiye
3Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Health Sciences University, City Hospital, Bilkent, Ankara, Türkiye

Keywords: DICOM, image processing, industry 5.0, printing, stereolithography, three-dimensional.

Abstract

Advancements in technology and the industry have changed the way that physicians deliver healthcare to their patients. Orthopedic surgery is one of the medical fields chasing advancing technology closely and making it a part of routine practice quickly. Patient-centric approach and customization of the care according to patient's needs are the key components in this new concept. Customized surgical planning with three-dimensional (3D) modelling and printing of the anatomy of each patient scheduled for surgery, custom made implants are on their ways to become the standard of the care. As a result, a higher proportion of technical personnel than before is expected to be involved in the healthcare. Orthopedic surgeons need to be familiar with this new working model and technical terminology to be able to communicate with the technical members of healthcare thoroughly. Processing of the medical images, computer-aided design (CAD) programs and 3D printing are the crucial parts of this workflow. In this review, we discuss the basics concepts of these components with the examples from 3D Slicer as a medical image processing platform and Shapr3D as a CAD platform, with the aspect of orthopedic surgeons.

Citation: Bahadır B, Atik OŞ, Kanatlı U, Sarıkaya B. A brief introduction to medical image processing, designing and 3D printing for orthopedic surgeons. Jt Dis Relat Surg 2023;34(2):451-454. doi: 10.52312/jdrs.2023.57912.

Author Contributions

Idea and concept, supervision and critical review: O.Ş.A., U.K., B.B.; Literature review, interpretation and writing: B.B.; Control: O.Ş.A., U.K., B.S.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Financial Disclosure

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.

Data Sharing Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.