Can we make anatomical specimen last forever? Technical note on photogrammetry

Abstract

Photogrammetry is technique which allows generation of three-dimensional models using photographic images. It is relatively new technique and very rarely used, as for now, in anatomy, but in our opinion, it has a great potential for being great alternative for conventional anatomy teaching methods. In the anatomy department of Wroclaw Medical University, we decided to check usefulness of this method as it comes to generation of anatomical models. In process we came up with a very simple, yet effective way of taking photos and generating models sufficient for didactics. We based our technique on very accessible and user-friendly mobile phone apps, basic medical-grade lamp setup, mobile phone cameras, and free computer software. All that makes our technique easy, fast, and cheap – which makes this method a better, potentially widely available alternative for conventional learning materials. We are sure photogrammetry will become more and more popular because of its superiority to digital anatomical resources such as three-dimensional atlases. Additionally, we can see a rise in popularity of technologies such as VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality), which can be useful in further implementation and development of photogrammetric 3D anatomical models as studies have shown.