![]() ![]() Hull in 1986, and has been extensively used worldwide over the past 30 years 4. Due to its precise reconstruction of intricate anatomical structures, there is an increasing use of 3D printing in medicine, ranging from basic anatomy to surgical practice and advanced research application. Educational models including bone 5, skull 6, lateral ventricles 7, kidney 8, liver 9, duodenum 10, heart 11, and cerebral aneurysm 12, have been constructed using 3D printing technology. ![]() High-quality models with efficiency equal to or better than cadavers, are promising tools in resolving challenges associated with ethics and hygiene associated with dissection. However, assessment of 3D models varies significantly, and is mostly limited to subjective evaluation. Search in PubMed for “Randomized controlled trial” and “three-dimensional printing” showed 12 items, out of which only three randomized controlled trials (RCT) compared the learning efficiency of 3D-printed models with cadavers or atlas 13, 14, 15. Additional RCTs are needed to confirm the role of 3D printing in medical education. Structure of skull is always one of the most complicated areas of anatomy. Skull base models were used for endoscopic training 6, and education in temporal bone anatomy 16. However, no precise 3D printed skull models that focus on basicranial structures are available. We generated 3D skull models, with each piece of skull bone colored differently, using data collected from computed tomography (CT). Skull models based on three-dimensional printing technology To evaluate the learning efficiency with 3D printed models of skull, we conducted an RCT comparing 2D atlases, cadaveric skulls and 3D printed skulls. We selected a most intact cadaveric skull in color (Fig. 1A), including clear anatomical basicranial structures from the Department of Anatomy in Peking Union Medical College (PUMC). ![]()
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