TDK conference 2015

Traditionally primary 2D images are used for anatomy teaching and demonstrating, although it is often hard for the students to understand the overall 3D structure through a drawing or a photo. There are a number of computer models available on the Internet that were created using graphical tools, and are based on the same anatomical descriptions, lack detail and do not have sufficient resolution.

The purpose of this study is to represent the realistic position of the vessels to the bones in the dog’s forelimb. We used bones of the Anatomy Museum that were scanned with a 3D Laser Scanner of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. The data was imported into 3DS Max where the models were combined, thus creating the three-dimensional structure of the dog’s forelimb. For imaging the arteries, we used the carcass of a dog, injecting contrast material into the a. axillaris. A Computer Tomograph sequence was run on the specimen, and the images were imported into 3D Slicer software. We used the "Editor" module of 3D Slicer to highlight the arteries so these could be exported into 3DS Max as a 3D model. The model of the skeleton and the vascular system were fused with each other. A complete three-dimensional model of the bone structure with the significant arteries of the dog’s forelimb was created. Pictures and animations of these structures can easily be rendered for anatomical demonstrations and lectures. Using a frame software, students may use the final models to have a better understanding of the structure.

Further research is needed to extend the model with the venal network, the nervous-, and muscular system. The method may be used to create similar models of other organs and body parts.