Realistic 3D-printed models help medical students learn interventional radiology

Using realistic 3D-printed models can help train medical students on the subject of interventional radiology vascular access, according to new research presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) annual meeting in Los Angeles.

“We've come up with a viable method for creating something that's inexpensive and also customizable to individual patients,” lead author Alexander Sheu, MD, an interventional and diagnostic radiology resident at Stanford University School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement. “The current model used to train medical students lacks the ability to replicate a patient’s anatomy. Our 3D-printed model will provide students a more realistic experience, allowing for better preparation before they perform procedures on real patients.”

For the study, researchers compared the comfort medical students felt using a “relatively inexpensive” 3D-printed model and a commercially available model to simulate ultrasound-guided access through the femoral artery to the groin. Following a training session, more than 93 percent of trainees felt comfortable using the 3D-printed model and more than 94 percent felt comfortable using the commercially available model—showing that the two produce similar results.

“Now that we know that a 3D-printed model is just as effective at training medical students in this type of procedure, this simulation experience can be made available to even more trainees and potentially improve procedural skills for residents, fellows, and attendees,” Sheu said in the same statement. “We foresee this really making an impact in the world of interventional radiology training.”