Medical Information: Making It Simple

Using manufacturing techniques broadly known as rapid prototyping (RP), highly accurate, patient-specific solid replicas of patient anatomy can be created from medical image data. Such three-dimensional models are currently used in clinical applications like pre-surgical planning, customization of devices, and acquisition of informed patient consent. But these models are not only useful for diagnostic and other medical purposes; they can also be effective as demonstrative evidence.

While the use of these technologies has become common at hospitals across the country, attorneys are now finding that such imaging studies are routinely admitted into evidence when properly authenticated. Cantor IV: How to Use a SPECT Scan in the Trial of a Traumatic Brain Injury Case. J Virginia Trials Lawyers Assoc., Summer 1998. The technology creates exhibits that clearly illustrate the extent of injuries, results of surgery or the complexity of a congenital abnormality. Created directly from patient scans, physical models can be considered exact replicas of anatomy. Using RP techniques, these models can be built precisely to scale or can be enlarged, preserving relative dimensions, to clarify subtleties. As a result, they can be used as powerful legal demonstrative evidence that clarifies testimony and leaves jurors with a lasting impression.