(A554) Immersive 3D Anatomic Models: Transforming Surgical Education for Medical Students and Residents

Introduction: Computer-generated imagery and three-dimensional (3D) modeling offer innovative, interactive ways to enhance the learning experience beyond the traditional study of anatomic illustrations and cadavers. Photogrammetry, a technique that creates detailed 3D anatomic models from images or videos, offers a cost-effective solution for producing high-quality visualizations. This study describes the integration of photogrammetry into a surgical dissection elective course for fourth-year medical students, and evaluates its potential to improve anatomic understanding, surgical skills, and educational outcomes in otolaryngology.

Methods: Four adult cadaveric head specimens with arterial dye injections were prepared for photogrammetry. Students performed endoscopic endonasal dissections including septoplasty, inferior turbinectomy, middle meatal antrostomy, anterior and posterior ethmoidectomy, sphenoidotomy, nasoseptal flap harvesting, pituitary gland exposure, pterygopalatine and infratemporal fossae exposures, and optic nerve canal decompression. Video recordings of the dissections were captured, retrieved from the AIDA recording system (Karl Storz Endoscopy, Germany), and uploaded to a photogrammetry software 3D scanner app (Laan Labs, USA), which generated detailed 3D meshes with textures.

Results: Four 3D interactive models illustrating endoscopic endonasal sinus surgical dissection were successfully exported and annotated with 20 key points and subsequently used for student evaluations. One student exceeded expectations by creating an advanced model demonstrating the dissection of the pterygopalatine fossa, infratemporal fossa, and orbit.

Conclusions: Student-led development of interactive 3D anatomic models from surgical dissections are potentially valuable educational tools for visualizing and understanding complex anatomy and surgical procedures. This experience facilitated the assessment of individual student performance and learning curves throughout the elective course, underscoring its potential as an indispensable resource for surgical training.