Surface Mesh files in Medicine - expanded scope for 3D Printing in Medicine (Q1 medical journal)

3D Printing in Medicine is having its 10 year anniversary. Thanks to the hard work of the Editorial Team, 3D Print Med has been very successful. We have a stable Impact Factor that will rise over time, and the clear distinction of being the top peer-review publication in the space. <<Please make sure that you do not confuse 3D Printing in Medicine (3D Print Med) with other journals that came later... We are https://threedmedprint.biomedcentral.com/>>

The #1 feedback point is that 3D Printing in Medicine is - by its title alone, limited to 3D Printing. Please let me now announce that this has changed - I am introducing a pilot series so that you can submit manuscripts where DICOM data has been converted into one or more surface mesh format files for patient care, but 3D printing was not used in the Patient Specific Realization for any of the surface mesh files. The Editor for the series is Reena Ghosh from 美国哈佛大学 and Boston Children's Hospital .

In my own experience, roughly half of the patients who need a surface mesh file for patient care actually need 3D printing as their Patient Specific Realization. Certainly everyone who needs a guide needs one (and usually more) 3D printed parts. However, there are so many creative people who are use surface mesh files for artificial intelligence/ learning algorithms, robotics, computational fluid dynamics, and virtual/ augmented reality to include a virtual surgery. For many patients, 3D printing is not needed, even though the work has gone into the surface mesh file and its digital manipulation. The #2 feedback point is actually a question, "Why can't I get paid for this?" Well - some people do get paid for it, and they may be exceptionally well paid.

For example, if a coronary CT scan is done and then undergoes the following medical service based on 3 steps:

1. conversion to a surface mesh file;
2. AI, computational fluid dynamics, or even simple analyses related to blood flow;
3. decision recommendation of whether or not the patient needs an expensive medical procedure

that medical service gets reimbursed.

For example, if a chest CT is done and then undergoes surface mesh rendering of the airways that are then used as the sole input to do a robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, that medical service gets reimbursed.

If you want to read more about this, here is a free download:

https://threedmedprint.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41205-022-00132-0

The difference between the services that are reimbursed and those that are not is simple.

LITERATURE

Please consider sending your very best work to 3D Print Med. Note that we do publish case reports, but the case must be quite exceptional. Case series should be structured as original reports. Review articles are also welcome. Guidance documents will also be reviewed, based on the expertise and portfolio of the authorship team.