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  • Dr. Mike

    A Ridiculously Easy Way to Convert CT Scans to 3D Printable Bone STL Models for Free in Minutes

    By Dr. Mike

    In this tutorial you will learn how to quickly and easily make 3D printable bone models from medical CT scans using the free online service Imag3D. The method described here requires no prior knowledge of medical imaging or 3D printing software. Creation of your first model can be completed in as little as 10 minutes.   You can download the files used in this tutorial by clicking on this link. You must have a free Embodi3D member account to do so. If you don't have an account, registra
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Recent FDA Approvals in the World of 3D Medical Printing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology was invented in the 1980s to create mechanical prototypes for the manufacturing sector. Healthcare professionals and researchers soon realized the potential of this novel technology in the field of medicine and began depositing desired materials on specific substrates to create anatomical models, surgical instruments, prosthetics and even body parts that could be customized to meet the needs of the user. Scientists rely on MRI and CT scan images of the
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Medical Researchers Use Three Dimensional Printing to Manage Cardiovascular Disease

When a 77-year-old patient at Hong Kong’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital needed a complex heart surgery, the surgeons at the facility relied on three-dimensional (3D) medical printing for additional support. The patient was suffering from two damaged valves and had already undergone three open heart surgeries. Her body was not ready for a fourth intervention. The doctors decided to replace the damaged valves by making a small incision through her blood vessels. However, such an intervention had never
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Advances in Otology: Overcome Hearing Loss With 3D Printing

Recent developments in the field of three-dimensional (3D) medical printing and bioprinting can revolutionize the way doctors approach ear disorders. The technology, also known as additive printing, allows the user to deposit a desired material on a specific substrate in a pre-determined manner to create 3D prints with definitive shapes and sizes. Scientists and healthcare professionals are already relying on this technology to create surgical instruments, anatomical models, diagnostic tools, pr
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Advances in Ophthalmology, Medical 3D Printing and Bioprinting to Treat Eye Diseases

Three-dimensional bioprinting and medical printing technologies are influencing the field of ophthalmology in a big way. Quingdao Unique, a Chinese bioprinting company, had announced in 2015 that they will be able to print 3D corneal implants within a year. Their products will be available for animal testing initially, and if everything goes as per plan, their 3D printed human corneas could be ready for clinical trials in the next two to three years. The company’s third generation bioprinter pro
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Deirdre_Manion-Fischer's Blog

Hydrogels in 3D bioprinting May Lead to Organ Printing

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 22 patients die each day in need of an organ transplant because the demand for organs far outpaces the supply. If the compelling idea of producing 3D printed organs is realized many lives could be saved.   A big challenge in this field is to produce printable material that can support cells and is also permeable to nutrients. A hydrogel is a type of synthetic cross-linked polymer that is highly water absorbent. Hydrogels are commonly
Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Biopen and Bio Ink: 3D Printed Cartilage for the Knee

The knee joint is the strongest and the largest joint of the human body. It consists of the lower end of the thighbone, upper end of the shin bone, and the knee cap. The three bones are connected to each other with articular and meniscal cartilages that act as shock absorbers and help protect and cushion the joint. Degeneration of the knee joint due to age and overuse can cause unwanted friction and bone spurs. The condition, also known as osteoarthritis, is the most prevalent form of arthritis
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Role of Medical 3D Printing in Spine Surgery

Defects and deformities of the vertebral column can have a debilitating impact on the patient’s quality of life. Thirteen-year-old Jocelynn Taylor was no different. She was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition characterized by an abnormally curved spine that may develop in children during one of their growth spurts. Jocelynn’s condition prevented her from being active in school and at home. Her vertebral column was also pushing her lungs and preventing her from breathing normally.   3D Printi
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

3D Printing Brain Leads to Advances in Neurology

The brain is arguably the most important organ within the human body as it controls major physiological and psychological functions responsible for growth and survival. Several conditions, including cancer, stroke, infections, inflammation, congenital deformities, and Alzheimer’s disease, can impair brain function and lead to serious illnesses and disabilities. Treatments may include medications, surgery and physical therapy among other things. Researchers across the globe are spending millions
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Impact of 3D Printing on Stem Cell Research and Therapy

Stem cell research has been plagued with innumerable controversies and ethical questions. Most researchers agree that these undifferentiated embryonic cells have the potential to treat serious conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease. They may also help evaluate the impact of new drugs and therapies at the cellular level.   Scientists, however, must be able to differentiate the stem cells consistently within a controlled environment to meet their s
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Can Medical 3D Printing and Bioprinting Create Transplantable Kidneys?

Close to 26 million people suffer from some form of kidney disease, and one in three Americans are at risk, as per the National Kidney Foundation. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and family history often contribute to chronic kidney disease that can lead to kidney failure. Other conditions include cancer, infections, stones and cysts. Remedies could range from medications and chemotherapy to corrective surgeries and transplantation. Three-dimensional (3D) medical printing and bioprinting are tran
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Deirdre_Manion-Fischer's Blog

3D Printing Makes Rib Implants Less Prone to Complications

The removal and reconstruction of a large part of the chest wall is often required to treat malignant tumors that occur in the cartilage or bone of the ribcage. However, the potential for complications in these types of surgeries is unacceptably high—the overall complication rate is over 40% and the 30-day mortality rate is up to 17%. Many of the complications are respiratory-related.   A team of doctors at Asturias University Central Hospital, in Asturias, Spain suspected that the patients’ d
Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

3D Printed Dental Implants Are Transforming Dentistry

Since the 1970s, modern dental implants have helped millions of patients suffering from tooth loss due to periodontal diseases and injuries. Their success encouraged researchers and dental professionals to come up with newer designs to improve patient care. As three-dimensional (3D) printing became more efficient and accessible, dental professionals also began using the technology to create customized dental implants. Recent Developments of 3D Printing in Dentistry Most 3D printers use additive
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

Difference Between 3D Medical Printing and Bioprinting

Difference Between 3D Medical Printing and Bioprinting The first three-dimensional (3D) printer was invented by Charles Hull in 1984. In the next 30 years, the technology advanced rapidly and evolved into a $3.07 billion industry by the end of 2013. The 2014 Wohler’s report expects this number to grow to $12.8 billion by 2018 and exceed $21 billion by 2020. Unlike the past, the use of 3D printing technology is not limited to prototyping and development of traditional consumer products such as c
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Deirdre_Manion-Fischer's Blog

Upcoming National Week of Making features medical 3D printing

Two years ago, the White House declared a week in mid-June the “national week of making,” to coincide with the DC Maker Faire. Since then, they have continued this tradition, providing funding and initiatives to encourage hands-on STEM education. This year’s national week of making starts on Friday, June 17-23 and DC’s Maker Faire is June 19th and 20th.   At last year’s events, President Obama said, “Makers and builders and doers— of all ages and backgrounds—have pushed our country forward, de
Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

3D Printing to Help Lower Maternal and Fetal Deaths

In spite of significant improvements in the field of medicine, thousands of women die each year during child birth. In fact, the number of maternal deaths in the United States has increased from 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 17.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2011. This worsening trend has been a matter of great concern within the medical community. Healthcare professionals and scientists are looking for newer methods to lower the incidence pregnancy-related deaths, and three
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Deirdre_Manion-Fischer's Blog

BiologicModels uses 3D Printing to put Protein Models in Customers' Hands

Casey Steffen has a background in video game animation and a Master’s degree in biological visualization but he describes himself as a “medical illustrator and a type I diabetic” in the video introduction to his RocketHub crowdfunding page, that raised money to support a project to make educational models of the protein hemoglobin, that has 4,659 atoms. The proposal was completely funded two years ago.   The project addresses confusion surrounding the common hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test. Unlike
3D Printing in Medicine

3D Printing a Spine Model to Help a Fellow Doctor with Low Back Pain

I was recently contacted by another doctor who asked if I could help him to create a 3D printed replicate of his spine to visualize pinched nerves in his low back and aid with planning a future back surgery. In order to work this doctor has to stand for long hours while performing surgical procedures. Excruciating low back pain had limited his ability to stand to only 30 minutes. As you can imagine, this means he couldn't work. Things only got worse after he had low back surgery.   A C
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

3D Printing Helps Treat Broken Bones

Broken bones can be immensely painful and debilitating. Broken bones account for over 6.8 million medical treatments each year at various hospitals, emergency rooms and doctor's offices across the United States. Most minor fractures can be treated using casts, braces and traction devices. Occasionally, surgeons also replace the broken or missing bone fragments using bone grafts. Grafts may be derived from the patient's own body (autografts) or from a donor (allografts).   Although autografts a
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3D Printing in Medicine

Formlabs Form 2 3D Printer Review: A Great Buy for Medical 3D Printing

Hello Dr. Mike here and welcome to my review of the Form 2 3D printer by Formlabs. The Form 2 is Formlabs newest desktop stereolithography printer. It is a great asset for medical 3D printing with many user friendly features and an acceptable price.   My full review is included here in both video and text. You can download the splenic artery aneurysm file shown in the video. The Form 2 printer is available to purchase from the Formlabs website. The previous generation Form 1+ can be purchased
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Deirdre_Manion-Fischer's Blog

Medical 3D Printing for Skull Surgery

A company in Brazil called Artis Tecnologia has developed medical 3D printing technologies to aid in skull resection surgery. They demonstrated their techniques on a volunteer patient who received surgery for free at the university hospital of the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). They published an article about it two weeks ago in the International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery.   Their technologies allow the removal of a skull tumor and the implantation of a pro
The Embodi3D.com Blog

How to Create a Blog on Embodi3D

About Blogs on Embodi3D Select members of the Embodi3D community may be given the ability to create a blog and publish blog articles on the Embodi3D website. Blogging for new member is turned off by default as a spam reduction measure. Longtime members who have reliably contributed to the Embodi3D community through discussions in the forums, comments, or file sharing can ask to have blogging enabled on their accounts. Blog articles are featured on the Embodi3D.com homepage and are promoted usi
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Matt Johnson's Biomedical 3D Printing Blog

3D Bioprinting to Help Manage Gum Disease

Three-dimensional medical printing and bioprinting technologies are offering innovative solutions to dentists, orthodontists and other professionals treating complex gum diseases and related oral health problems. These treatments may benefit a significant portion of the 67.4 million American adults that suffer from such conditions.   Gum disease, also known as periodontitis, is characterized by swollen and bleeding gums, persistent bad breath, and loose teeth. If untreated, the condition can l
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3D Printing in Medicine

How to Upload and Share 3D Printable Files on Embodi3D

If you have a 3D printable file you would like to share with the Embodi3D community the process is very easy.   1) First, get your files ready. STL files are best and have good compatibility with most printers. Make sure your files are of good quality as Embodi3D's file library contains high quality files. If you think you files may have errors in them, you can check them using the Inspector function in MeshMixer. Be sure to compress your files if possible using a compression program like WinZ
Dr. Mike

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