2024-09-22 15:19:32
3D printing of personalized models of diseased organs is developing to help patients materialize their pathology and better communicate with doctors. However, these tools can provoke variable emotional reactions that should be taken into account to better understand their impact on care.
Using digital and 3D (three-dimensional) printing technologies to improve the conditions of surgical care for patients with kidney cancer. This is the objective of the project « Digital Urology 3D »supported by the urology department of the Bordeaux University Hospital.
Medical imaging, where does it come from?
If I ask you to visualize the inside of your body, it is very likely that you will recall a schematic representation of our organs, or a generic representation of the human body. If you think about it, this seems quite logical since the rare times we can see our body it is on scannersof the IRM or even radios. Images that are often in black and white and difficult to understand.
We owe these images in particular to the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen who discovered X-rays at the end of the 19th century. Based on this work, Professor Antoine Béclère took the first X-rays on a patient in a Parisian hospital.
Later, during the First World War, Marie Curie developed techniques to, among other things, identify pieces of shells present in the bodies of soldiers. The growing interest in these discoveries and uses would lead to the development of medical imaging throughout the 20th century.
Source : lumni.fr.
Today, medical imaging is essential in patient care and is constantly being improved and is trying to get ever closer to reality.
The arrival of new technologies
The development of 3D modeling tools is one of the means used in the medical field to meet this ambition. From medical images, this technique makes it possible to create a virtual model of the patient’s organ in three dimensions and in color, or even a material model of the organ by 3D printing.
Let’s first take a quick detour through the manufacturing process of these objects. 3D printing emerged in the 1980s, mainly in the field of design. It was first used to visualize prototypes before they were put on the market. In 1999, 3D printing marked a turning point in the field of health with the appearance of the first prosthesis (a bladder in this case) implanted in a human.
However, over the last fifteen years, this technique has developed particularly in this field in which it has today various functions including anatomical model printing.
From molding our teeth to 3D printed organs
We have all seen these anatomical models: the mold of our teeth at the dentist, the skeleton at the back of our science classes or even models of organs on a doctor’s desk… These three situations reflect the three current uses of these models in the world of health.
Indeed, just like the mold of teeth, models can be an aid for the doctor to more easily grasp the specificities of each individual. Just like the skeleton, they can serve as a training tool for students and, just like the copy of an organ on the doctor’s desk, they can be an information support for the patient. The visualization aims to improve communication with the therapist as well as, by extension, the patient’s understanding of their pathology and their care.
Let us now remember only the example of the skeleton and that of the teeth and identify the difference between them. Do you get it? Yes! The skeleton is a generic representation of reality, unlike the mold of our teeth, which is a real representation of our dentition, or our specificity as an individual.
Generic or custom models
This difference is found at a more global level since there are today two types of organ models: generic models and personalized models.
The former are increasingly present, as evidenced in particular by the numerous websites which offer them for sale; “Medical Stalt” et “medical equipment” are two examples. You will find models for the vast majority of healthy organs in the human body, if not all. But if you look hard enough, you can even find generic models of diseased organs.
Personalized models of diseased organs are mainly used in the field of research. They are made from scans or medical images specific to the patient and involve a high manufacturing time and cost. Although they are not as developed as generic models, studying their impact on patient care is nonetheless interesting.
The benefits of customizing anatomical models
Carrying out a review of the scientific literature (publication to come) on the study of these personalized models for patient education allowed me to draw out their main contributions.
It appears that visualizing the organ would allowimprove understanding of pathology by the patient as well as its supportwhether surgical or not.
Studies tend to show that these new objects become tools and allowimprove communication between doctor and patient. The use of custom 3D models also appears to lead to a better patient satisfaction.
Different reactions in patients
However, different emotional reactions can be observed in patients when faced with the visualization of their “diseased” organ printed in 3D. While some express that this visual has allowed them to better understand their illness, others report feeling more anxious.
The results therefore need to be further explored to understand these differences in reactions. The patient’s feelings about the disease are unique. Taking these inter-individual differences into account is essential to better understand the effect of these models.
Materialize the diseased organ to take control of its pathology?
One of the objectives of the project « Digital Urology 3D » is to study the effect of virtual and printed models, generic or personalized, when integrated into patient care.
Indeed, if 3D printing seems to be a beneficial medium for informing the patient through visualization, studies do not currently allow us to realize their individual impact on each patient. What does the materialization of our sick organ bring? Is “taking charge” of one’s illness a possible lever for improving care?
This research work was supported by the National Research Agency (ANR), which finances research on projects in France, within the framework of the third Investments for the Future Program, integrated into France 2030 (ANR-21-RHUS-0015). The ANR’s mission is to support and promote the development of fundamental and finalized research in all disciplines, and to strengthen the dialogue between science and society. To find out more, visit the ANR websiteANR.
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