Today, in many cases, medical students still rely on cadavers to hone their skills in manual surgical techniques. Digital models and virtual reality training cannot yet replace the act of physically practicing on a human specimen, especially when it comes to getting a real sense of how it feels doing these procedures. Yet the escalating cost of cadavers, not to mention the issue of acquiring, transporting, preserving and disposing of them, demands a more affordable and sustainable approach.
Project Hamlet offers an alternative solution. It grew from an idea between Trier University of Applied Sciences and the neurosurgery department at Barmherzige Brüder Hospital to help medical students progress with their neurosurgical studies and perform basic training scenarios like brain tumor biopsies in an innovative, cost effective and sustainable way. Instead of operating on a cadaver, they work with a 3D printed model of a skull made from a combination of materials including composites, latex, silicon and gelatin to resemble the anatomy of the skull and brain.
The initiative aims to improve access to high quality training while enhancing patient outcomes, setting a new standard for medical education. Anne Meier and Lena Pitz, both sports and rehabilitation technology students, worked on the project called HAMLET (Haptic Applications for Medical Learning, Experimenting and Teaching). They created the model during their studies and picked up three prizes on behalf of the team at the Rhineland-Palatinate ideas competition for their groundbreaking work.
“We attach great importance to project-based teaching and encourage students to engage in solving real-world problems,” said Michael Hoffmann, head of the lab “Digital Product Development and Manufacturing” (LDPF) in the Department of Engineering at Trier University of Applied Sciences.
Using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud, Meier and Pitz transformed anonymized, clinical medical imaging data from a CT scan into a 3D model. This formed the basis of the 3D printed skull now being used for training at Barmherzige Brüder Hospital.
Dr. Marcus Mehlitz, deputy head of the Brain Tumor Center and senior consultant in the department of neurosurgery and pediatric neurosurgery at Barmherzige Brüder Hospital, confirmed that the simulated experience with the 3D printed model offers a realistic representation of how neurosurgery procedures play out in the operating theater.
“It’s proving a safer and more affordable approach to medical education that provides a similar experience to traditional cadavers,” Mehlitz said. “Becoming a surgeon is all about repetition and being able to practice in a non-pressured setting like this really makes a difference.”
Work is now underway to add new features to the 3D printed model and support other training scenarios. It is also hoped that projects like this might be used in the future to support even more personalized patient treatment and interventions.
Discover how students at Trier University of Applied Sciences used the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to bring Project HAMLET to life.
Rebecca Lambert is a skilled content creator and journalist based in the UK. Since she was a young girl, Rebecca has been captivating readers with her words, covering virtually any and every subject matter.