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using democratiz3D to create brain models?


Dr. Mike

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A member recently asked me the following question. I am posting the answer here so that everyone can benefit.

 

QUESTION:

I am a neurosurgeon and have made 3D brain models from architectural software (Form Z).  Some of these models are on my web site which I did more than 5 years ago (________).  I am starting to update my web site (for patient information, noncommercial).  I have not tried your software as yet.  Tutorials imply bone,  vascular, muscle, skin, etc. I plan to try this for spine.  I did see a brain in your gallery.  Do I use the same technique as in your tutorial to make a brain?  Will it show any intraparenchymal lesions?

 

ANSWER:
Thank you for the question. Brain are particularly difficult to segment for 3D printing because they have to come from MRIs, and MRI data is highly variable, unlike CT data. Not only are there many differing kinds of  MRI basic pulse sequences (T1, T2, FLAIR, MPRAGE, STIR, etc),  but they are acquired in different planes (axial, sagittal, coronal) and differing slice thicknesses. Furthermore, the protocols are different between venders. For example a T2 fat-sat sequence from GE will be different than those from Philips, Siemens, Toshiba, etc. All of this makes it very difficult to automate the segmentation. At this time if you want to segment a brain, you'll probably need to do it manually. This is a time-consuming process, but can be done with a variety of software packages, such as 3D Slicer, for example. You'll have to segment out any intraparenchymal lesions separately as well. There are many tutorials on this site to get you started. Hope this helps.

 

Dr. Mike

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