CT scans are going to play an increasingly important part in modern medicine. They can pick up early warning signs of diseases and they can effectively see through the human body, separate out the various vessels and spot anomalies that could turn into life threatening conditions.
But there is one major issue that a new paper by James Shin of Stony Brook University and Jacob Kaufman of the University of Neurology addresses.
We need models, not scans
Consumer grade is good enough
So this study is good news, as it means that any hospital can invest in relatively low resolution printers and they can have a number of them working at various points around the hospital. The simple models they produce could have a profound effect on people’s lives, help surgeons catch problems early and also to plan operations more effectively.
That could save thousands of people having to undergo surgery or lengthy treatments and it could also reduce the time spent in surgery when it is necessary.
If that turns out to be the case, then we have to look at each print as $11 well spent.
