Description
The lung has been dissected following a parasagittal plane, removing the mediastinal surface. Ordinarily, the pulmonary arteries, veins and bronchi can be observed entering the lung in the hilum, but the primary bronchi cannot be seen in this specimen as they have already divided substantially. It is unclear how far laterally the specimen has been dissected hence the bronchi subdivision level (secondary or tertiary) cannot be determined.
The cardiac impression is formed by the left ventricle of the heart resting on the mediastinal surface of the lung. Although the lung has been dissected following a parasagittal plane, the cardiac impression can still be observed as it is the most concave area of the medial surface of the lung.
The lung sits above the diaphragm, forming the concave diaphragmatic surface. The pleura has not been preserved in this specimen, but ordinarily, there exists a diaphragmatic recess bounded by the costal and diaphragmatic pleura. This would lie between the lung's diaphragmatic impression and the diaphragm.
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.
