RETURN TO ABSTRACT LISTING


Objective:
This study aims to determine the feasibility of using 3D visualization images in clinical clerk medical student abdominal CT gross anatomy teaching and quantitatively evaluate its learning benefit.

Materials and Methods:
An abdominal CT without any abnormality was used for segmentation for the abdominal 3D structures. A total of 20 medical students in their 5th year were introduced to 3D imaging of the abdominal CT through detailed 30-minute tutorial sessions. A pre- and postintervention survey and examination were administered to assess student impression. Median test results were compared in between the pre- and posttraining using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

Results:
Data from 20 students indicated a significant improvement in knowledge test scores for pre- and postintervention (17% vs 83%, p = 0.001). With this intervention, there is significant improvement for students’ confidence to identify normal anatomy (5 vs 8.5, p = 0.001) and abnormality (3 vs 8, p = 0.001) of the hepatobiliary system; identify normal anatomy (5 vs 8.5, p = 0.001) and abnormality (3 vs 8, p = 0.001) of the urinary system; identify normal anatomy (4.5 vs 8, p = 0.001) and abnormality (3 vs 9, p = 0.001) of the gastrointestinal tract; identify normal anatomy (5 vs 8, p = 0.001) and abnormality (5 vs 8, p = 0.001) of the abdominal circulatory system; and identify normal anatomy (3 vs 8, p = 0.001) and abnormality (4 vs 8, p = 0.001) of pelvic structure and organs.

Conclusion:
The results of our study showed that the incorporation of 3D visualization images in CT gross anatomy teaching significantly improved the students' learning performance in abdominal anatomy. The use of 3D images enabled the students to have a better understanding of the complex 3D anatomy of the abdomen and allowed them to visualize the relationships between different structures. This helped the students to identify normal and abnormal structures more accurately and confidently.