DIY Animation for Preoperative Planning of Complex Spinal Procedures and Education

Introduction: Medical Animation is an extremely valuable tool for demonstration and education. It has tremendous potential for detailed preoperative planning of complex spine procedures, however the current limitations include expense, long production times, and an inability to make real time modifications if professional animators are utilized.

Methods: We have developed a series of animated models representing every region of the spine including associated neural, vascular and sot tissue components utilizing the free animation software Blender. Blender was also utilized to produce detailed and accurate spinal hardware and tools used in the animations. Additionally the free software, 3D slicer, was used to segment tumors from MRI studies to produce accurate 3D representations that were then incorporated into the animation models for preoperative planning and postoperative presentations.

Results: These 3D model systems provide an excellent method to preplan surgical options for complex spinal cases including primary tumors and deformity. Osteotomies , reductions, and reconstructions can be planned and modeled in real time. This also allows consideration of multiple surgical scenarios for a case. These animations can be utilized for preoperative education of residents. fellows, and OR staff. Additionally, they provide a much more effective visual presentation for conferences and patient education. The basic skills necessary to use Blender and 3D Slicer can be learned in a short period of time.

Conclusion : DIY medical animation provides a tremendous opportunity for preoperative planning of complex spinal procedures including tumors and deformity. We believe it it much more effective 3D printed models and 2D modeling systems. There is also the potential in the future of utilizing AI to aid in the production of these models.