Computed tomography- and magnetic resonance imaging-visible, patient-specific canine head phantom via 3-dimensional anatomy printing for neurosurgical training and biopsy planning: a proof of concept.

Authors

Robb M Kessel, Akshaya Nidhi Bhati, Yoshihiko Yu, Jack N Roney, Rajnish Gupta, Nduka M Amankulor, Wilfried Mai, Mallesham Dasari, Rahul Mangharam, Wojciech K Panek

Published in

American journal of veterinary research. Pages 1-10. Aug 12, 2026. Epub Aug 12, 2026.

Abstract

To develop and evaluate a workflow for generating a patient-specific canine head phantom with intracranial pathology from clinical CT and MRI data using digital anatomy printing and to assess its anatomic accuracy and imaging fidelity for veterinary neurosurgical planning and training.
This experimental proof-of-concept study used historical clinical CT and MRI data from a canine patient diagnosed with a brain glioma. A multimaterial head phantom was created using image segmentation, computer-aided design modeling, material assignment and slicing, PolyJet-based 3-D printing with a digital anatomy printer, and postprocessing. The produced phantom underwent CT and MRI scanning. Anatomical dimensional accuracy along a predefined intracranial trajectory and imaging realism were assessed by comparison of HU and MRI signal intensity between the phantom and the patient imaging data.
2 patient-specific canine head phantoms, one dual CT and MRI optimized and another purely CT optimized, were successfully produced and imaged. The phantom demonstrated CT attenuation and MRI signal characteristics qualitatively consistent with the patient's tissues. Quantitative assessment showed minimal dimensional deviation along the selected trajectory compared with the original patient anatomy. Imaging contrast between structures was reproduced, although measurable differences in CT attenuation values and MRI signal characteristics of the printed materials were identified.
A streamlined workflow for generating patient-specific canine head phantoms using multimaterial 3-D printing was established and demonstrated anatomical fidelity and multimodal imaging compatibility.
These phantoms offer a unique and practical model for advanced veterinary neurosurgical planning and training, particularly including trajectory planning for intracranial procedures, such as brain biopsy.

PMID:
42590792
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Aug 2026.

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