Description
Clinical History
No clinical details are available.
Pathology
A slice of liver reveals the characteristic yellow/grey and greasy appearance on one side. On the other side the appearance is restricted to the outer margin whilst the central area displays darker coloration possibly due to cirrhosis. This is an example of fatty change in the liver.
Note
Causes of fatty change (steatosis) or accumulations of triglycerides in the liver include obesity, diabetes, alcohol abuse, starvation, Kwashiorkor, drugs and toxins. Alcoholism is the commonest cause in most communities.
Advantages
- Anatomically accurate and identical to real specimen
- No ethical issues - not real human body parts
- Reasonably priced
- Available within a short lead time
- Reproducible, several identical prints can be used as a classroom set
- Can be produced in different sizes to cater for the needs of the teacher
Human Cadavers
- Access to cadavers can be problematic. Many countries cannot access cadavers for cultural and religious reasons
- Cadavers cost a lot money
- High cost for establishing your own plastination suite
- Wet specimens cannot be used in uncertified labs
- Dissection of cadavers is a lot of staff time and that is a cost
- Storage of cadaver material needs special refrigeration etc. which has coast
- If you want another specimen you have to start all over again
Plastinates
- Costs
- Ethical issues
- Timeframe for plastination process
- Many countries do not allow their importation
- One of a kind
Superior 3D print results compared with conventional methods
- Vibrant color offering with 10 million colors
- UV-curable inkjet printing
- High quality 3D printing that can create products that are delicate, extremely precise and incredibly realistic
Clear Support Material
- To avoid breakage of fragile, thin, and delicate arteries, veins or vessels, a clear support material is printed on such spots. This makes the models robust and can be handled by students easily.
