Medical Imaging Process & Technology

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Medical Imaging and 3D Printing Technology

Submission deadline: 2023-12-31
Section Editors

Section Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

 

Medical imaging and 3D printing technology have revolutionized the field of healthcare, offering innovative solutions to various diagnostic and treatment challenges. Combining the power of medical imaging with the precision of 3D printing has opened up new avenues for personalized medicine, surgical planning, and medical device development. Medical imaging techniques such as X-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound generate high-quality digital data, which serves as a foundation for 3D printing applications. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process that constructs three-dimensional objects layer by layer from digital designs. With recent advancements, 3D printers can now utilize various materials, including plastics, metals, and even biocompatible materials suitable for medical applications.

 

One of the key advantages of this synergy is the ability to create patient-specific anatomical models. Surgeons can use these models to practice complex surgeries, anticipate potential complications, and improve patient outcomes. Moreover, 3D printing enables the production of customized implants, prosthetics, and orthotics, tailored precisely to individual patients' needs. Another exciting frontier is bioprinting, where living cells and biomaterials are combined to fabricate functional tissues and organs. Medical imaging provides crucial data for bioprinting, allowing the recreation of patient-specific tissues and organs with complex geometries. This technology has the potential to revolutionize transplantation and regenerative medicine, addressing the organ shortage crisis.

 

The synergistic combination of medical imaging and 3D printing technology has transformed healthcare practices by providing personalized solutions and improving patient care. These advancements are revolutionizing the medical field, from accurate surgical planning to customized medical devices and the potential for bio-printing functional tissues. As technology continues to evolve, further research and development in this field will undoubtedly bring about more breakthroughs, leading to enhanced diagnostic capabilities, improved treatment outcomes, and ultimately, a better quality of life for patients worldwide.

 

Sample topics but not limited to are:

1. Optimization of 3D printing parameters for medical imaging applications

2. Development of novel 3D printing materials for medical imaging devices

3. Integration of medical imaging data into 3D printing workflows

4. Augmented reality and virtual reality applications for medical imaging and 3D printing

5. Automation and artificial intelligence in medical image segmentation for 3D printing

6. 3D printing of patient-specific anatomical models for surgical planning

7. Bio-printing of functional tissues and organs using medical imaging data

8. Development of portable and low-cost 3D printing systems for medical imaging

9. Evaluation of the accuracy and reliability of 3D-printed medical devices

10. Exploration of regulatory and ethical considerations for 3D printing in medical imaging.

 

So, research articles, reviews and studies in this area of study are welcome. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

 

Assoc. Prof. Ali K. Kamrani

Section editor

Keywords

Medical Imaging and 3D Printing Technology; Medical Device Development; Medical Imaging Techniques; Patient-specific Anatomical Models; Bio-printing Functional Tissues; Automation and Artificial Intelligence

Published Paper

Density estimation of the main structuring sessile species in underwater marine caves with a deep learning approach

Sergio Sierra;Elena Prado;Luis Rodríguez-Cobo;Carla Quiles-Pons;Pablo Roldán-Varona;David Díaz-Viñolas;Pedro Anuarbe-Cortés;Adolfo Cobo;Francisco Sánchez;
Monitoring marine biodiversity is a challenge in some vulnerable and difficult-to-access habitats, such as underwater caves. Underwater caves are a great focus of biodiversity, concentrating a large number of species in their environment. However, most of the sessile species that live on the rocky walls are very vulnerable, and they are often threatened by different pressures. The use of these spaces as a destination for recreational divers can cause different impacts on the benthic habitat. In this work, we propose a methodology based on video recordings of cave walls and image analysis with deep learning algorithms to estimate the spatial density of structuring species in a study area. We propose a combination of automatic frame overlap detection, estimation of the actual extent of surface cover, and semantic segmentation of the main 10 species of corals and sponges to obtain species density maps. These maps can be the data source for monitoring biodiversity over time. In this paper, we analyzed the performance of three different semantic segmentation algorithms and backbones for this task and found that the Mask R-CNN model with the Xception101 backbone achieves the best accuracy, with an average segmentation accuracy of 82%.

Inventory of dykes and their tectonic environment in S-Algeria, N-Mali and N-Niger based on a GIS embedded comparative analysis of remote sensing data

Barbara Theilen-Willige;
Although dykes are a predominant and widely distributed phenomenon in S-Algeria, N-Mali and N-Niger, a system-atic, standardized inventory of dykes covering these areas has not been published so far. Remote sensing and geo infor-mation system (GIS) tools offer an opportunity for such an inventory. This inventory is not only of interest for the mining industry as many dykes are related to mineral occurrence of economic value, but also for hydrogeologic investigations (dykes can form barriers for groundwater flow). Surface-near dykes, major fault zones, volcanic and structural features were digitized based on Landsat 8 and 9, Sentinel 2, Sentinel 1 and ALOS PALSAR data. High resolution images of World Imagery files/ESRI and Bing Maps Aerial/Microsoft were included into the evaluations. More than 14,000 dykes were digitized and analyzed. The evaluations of satellite images allow a geomorphologic differentiation of types of dykes and the description of their characteristics such as dyke swarms or ring dykes. Dykes are tracing zones of weakness like faults and zones with higher geomechanically strain. Dyke density calculations were carried out in ArcGIS to support the detection of dyke concentrations as stress indicator. Thus, when occurring concentrated, they might indicate stressed areas where further magmatic and earthquake activity might potentially happen in future.






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