On the added benefit of virtual anatomy for dissection‐based skills

Abstract

Technological approaches deploying three‐dimensional visualization to integrate virtual anatomy are increasingly used to provide medical students with state‐of‐the‐art teaching. It is unclear to date to which extent virtual anatomy may help replace the dissection course. Medical students of Johannes Kepler University attend both a dissection and a virtual anatomy course. This virtual anatomy course is based on Cinematic Rendering and radiological imaging and teaches anatomy and pathology. This study aims to substantiate student benefits achieved from this merged teaching approach. Following their dissection course, 120 second‐year students took part in objective structured practical examinations (OSPE) conducted on human specimens prior to and following a course on Cinematic Rendering virtual anatomy. Likert‐based and open‐ended surveys were conducted to evaluate student perceptions of both courses and their utility. Virtual anatomy teaching was found to be unrelated to improvements in student's ability to identify anatomical structures in anatomical prosections, yielding only a 1.5% increase in the OSPE score. While the students rated the dissection course as being more important and impactful, the virtual anatomy course helped them display the learning content in a more comprehensible and clinically applicable way. It is likely that Cinematic Rendering‐based virtual anatomy affects knowledge gain in domains other than the recognition of anatomical structures in anatomical prosections. These findings underline students' preference for the pedagogic strategy of the dissection course and for blending this classical approach with novel developments like Cinematic Rendering, thus preparing future doctors for their clinical work.

Doing more with less: Realistic stereoscopic three‐dimensional anatomical modeling from smartphone photogrammetry

“…Cinematic rendering represents a pioneering advancement in medical imaging, conferring unique advantages over conventional volume rendering methods 52–54 . It employs complex lighting and shading algorithms inspired by the film industry to create visually captivating and detailed images.…”

“…These specificities are not evident in objects generated from radiological images. While applying textures to these objects is feasible, they currently fall short of replicating the realism and diversity of human tissue appearances.Cinematic rendering represents a pioneering advancement in medical imaging, conferring unique advantages over conventional volume rendering methods [52][53][54]. It employs complex lighting and shading algorithms inspired by the film industry to create visually captivating and detailed images.…”

Undergraduate medical student perceptions and learning outcomes related to anatomy training using Thiel‐ and ethanol‐glycerin‐embalmed tissues

“…Remarkably, further comparison of Thiel‐ and formaldehyde‐embalmed anatomical specimens yielded that one third of undergraduate students expressed that Thiel‐embalmed tissues made them feel more uncomfortable when compared to formaldehyde‐embalmed tissues owing to their appearance (Balta, Lamb, & Soames, 2015; Miyake et al, 2020). It may therefore be hypothesized that the dissection of Thiel‐embalmed tissues may trigger a more extensive stress response of undergraduate students when compared to ethanol‐glycerin‐embalmed human bodies, yielding discoloration and bleaching likewise (Hammer et al, 2012; Niedermair et al, 2023). Such stress experience tends to have a negative impact on student learning (Tyng et al, 2017; Rowe & Fitness, 2018).…”

The chemicals between us—First results of the cluster analyses on anatomy embalming procedures in the German‐speaking countries

“…Hands‐on courses utilizing human tissues for educational training offer an important pathway to acquire anatomical and procedural knowledge both for undergraduate and postgraduate medical students 1–5 . Owing to the advances made in teaching technology in recent years, anatomical training can now be provided using a variety of methods, ranging from physical dissection to virtual courses visualizing structures in vivo 6–10 . Despite such developments, consensus prevails that anatomical dissection remains the gold standard for anatomical training, 11,12 while virtual facilities are seen as complementary options rather than being full substitutes 7,8,13,14 …”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] Owing to the advances made in teaching technology in recent years, anatomical training can now be provided using a variety of methods, ranging from physical dissection to virtual courses visualizing structures in vivo. [6][7][8][9][10] Despite such developments, consensus prevails that anatomical dissection remains the gold standard for anatomical training, 11,12 while virtual facilities are seen as complementary options rather than being full substitutes. 7,8,13,14 Anatomy training is mostly conducted on embalmed bodies or specimens.…”