MOI 3D Medical Printing Program

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This model of an arthritic elbow was crafted by a medical student studying the elbow anatomy of a patient for a surgical case. The student printed it from the patient's specific MRI DICOM files. The surgery the student participated in involved removing painful osteophytes from the elbow using arthroscopy, a technique that uses a camera and instruments inserted into the joint to perform various tasks. Understanding 3D anatomy is crucial to prevent getting disoriented and successfully accomplishing the surgical task. The bony arthritic outgrowths in this model are extremely painful and limit motion significantly. Creating such a model greatly helps students and surgeons-in-training prepare for an extensive range of orthopedic cases, including fracture fixation management, joint instability repair, tumor defect correction, bone loss repair, deformity alignment correction, and patient-specific surgical guides. The Missouri Orthopedic Institute program provides students with the opportunity to learn about 3D modeling and printing principles. As a result, they develop the skills to independently print medical models for educational purposes and surgical planning, allowing them to better educate and care for their diverse patient population effectively.