Generation of a 3D printed brain model from MRI scan data to assist in Brain Surgery using open source tools

The potential of medical 3D printing for improved patient treatment attained recognition after the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technology got invented almost 30 years ago. Further development in this technology focused on providing enhanced quality images, speed and patient comfort. This project work aims to convert the MRI scan data of brain into its equivalent 3D Model using open source tools, which provide the facility of improved processing, and this in turn, aids in converting the same into a sliced model and then 3D Prints it using Fused Deposition Modeling technique. This helps to generate physical, patient-specific 3D models of the brain.  The benefits of this work include planning complex surgical interventions in the pre-operative stage thus, reducing the steps involved in implant/removal as well as the time span for which the patient is kept under the impact of anesthesia. This also has an additional advantage of helping with intraoperative orientation. It is understood that, this model will prove to be highly useful with respect to treating a complex organ like the human brain, since its intricate shape makes its 3D rendering a difficult task. Thus, the creation of a live size model of the patient’s brain with cut-sections at the tumor’s location will definitely assist the neurosurgeons with brain surgeries involving tumor removal.