Could the future of interventional radiology training lie in 3D-printed models?

A new option for training interventional radiologists in noninvasive procedures allows physicians to replicate patients’ blood vessels in a 3D-printed model, researchers announced at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s annual meeting in Los Angeles.

The teaching method, which involves scanning and printing a 3D model of a patient’s unique vasculature, was tested in a study led by Alexander Sheu, MD, an interventional and diagnostic radiology resident at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Sheu said the novel approach allows more malleability than the traditional teaching model.

“We’ve come up with a viable method for creating something that’s inexpensive and also customizable to individual patients,” he said in a release from SIR. “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.”

Sheu’s team tested a 3D experimental model and the commercially standard blood vessels model in a team of 32 radiology students, who were randomized to one of the options for training in ultrasound-guided femoral artery access.

Before the simulation exercise, 73 percent of the 3D group and 76 percent of the commercial group said they didn’t feel confident in performing the procedure, the study stated. After the exercises, 93.3 percent and 94.1 percent of those groups reported the models were easy to use and helpful for practice.

“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. “We foresee this really making an impact in the world of interventional radiology training.”

He said the new method replicates the effectiveness of commercial products—which range from $2,000 to $3,000 each—while being more realistic and inexpensive.