University of Notre Dame researchers have successfully
created three-dimensional anatomical models from CT scans using 3-D printing
technology, a process that holds promise for medical professionals and their
patients. A paper by the researchers, “3D Printing of Preclinical X-ray
Computed Tomographic Data Sets,” was published in the Journal of Visualized
Experiments this week.
The strategy was initiated last spring by then-freshman Evan
Doney, a Glynn Family Honors student in the laboratory of W. Matthew Leevy,
research assistant professor at the Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility.
“It’s a very clever idea,” Leevy said. “He did a lot of it independently. He figured
out how to convert the tomographic data to a surface map for editing and
subsequent 3-D printing.”