Medical Animation News

Consider how many organ systems are contained within the human body, and then try to imagine how to best illustrate each one, both individually and as part of the larger whole. If you thought about 3D medical animation systems, you're on the right track, since scientists have been using this technology for just such a purpose.

It seems like a medical animation has been created for virtually every bodily system. The skeleton is an obvious starting point.

In humans, an adult skeleton contains 206 bones, and due to the gradual fusion of some bones over time, this number is actually higher in infants. According to the San Diego Supercomputer Center, a newborn baby has nearly 300 bones!

With so many parts, the skeleton can be difficult to conceptualize for medical students, doctors and patients alike. But with the help of a 3D medical visualization, each of these groups can get a better grasp on the human frame.

Likewise, medical animations can clarify the form and function of the human lungs. Even though these may not seem as difficult to understand, the lungs contain a branching structure that is quite complex.

Called the bronchial tree, it's probably what you imagine when you think about the interior of your lungs. As air enters your chest, it travels down through a succession of branching tubes that get smaller and smaller. This network of bronchioles ends in bud-like alveoli, which collect oxygen from the air.

By virtue of its fractal geometry, the bronchial tree packs tons of surface area into a small space. According to McDowell's Encyclopedia of Human Body Systems, the average human lung system contains 600 million alveoli, which have a collective surface area of 750 square feet.

It really takes an interactive medical animation to be able to appreciate this maximization of space. However, to put it in perspective, 750 square feet is roughly the size of a tennis court.

Now consider just how complex this system is when it is in motion. Pulmonary researchers often do, as evidenced by a study published in the journal Medical Imaging 2006: Visualization, Image-Guided Procedures and Display.

A team of oncologists and computer scientists from the University of Central Florida created 3D medical animations depicting how lung dynamics are affected by the presence of a tumor. The simulation allowed the group to examine how a carcinoma can create breathing problems.

Amerra provides custom medical animations, medical illustrations and interactive medical software. For additional information please contact us at 1.888.9AMERRA or e-mail info@amerra.com.