Case Study: University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine achieves patient-specific CT- and MRI-visible 3D brain phantoms for safer veterinary neurosurgery with Stratasys

Enhancing Veterinary Care with 3D Printing

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, led by Dr. Wojciech Panek, confronted a shortage of patient-specific training and planning tools for veterinary neurosurgery—especially for minimally invasive brain biopsies in dogs. To bridge that gap they worked with Stratasys, using the Stratasys Digital Anatomy Printer and Digital Anatomy materials to develop CT- and MRI-visible, anatomically accurate phantom models.

Stratasys delivered multimodal, patient-specific 3D‑printed brain models (with segmentation support from Axial3D) that closely replicated the original scans—CT Hounsfield Unit values of the prints mirrored the real patient—and were directly imageable on CT and MRI. The high-fidelity models enabled realistic needle-biopsy rehearsal and precise procedure planning, reducing risk to animals and demonstrating a first-of-its-kind, scan-compatible training solution with measurable imaging accuracy and repeatable hands-on use.

University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

Wojciech Panek

University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine