Application of 3D Printing and WebGL-Based 3D Visualisation Technology in Imaging Teaching of Ankle Joints

With the rapid development of medical technology, 3D printing technology with realistic representation can perfectly display static human anatomy, while 3D visualisation technology based on Web Graphics Library (WebGL) can promote the rigid replication characteristics of traditional teaching models and express the dynamic spatial relationship between different anatomical structures. Medical students traditionally have less cognition of ankle ligament sprains. In this study, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of the ankle joints of volunteers were used to print models of the ankle bone, tendon, and ligament using 3D printing technology, and a real-time interactive 3D digital model of the functional ankle joint was designed using 3D visualisation based on WebGL and 2D image real-time rendering technology for interactive teaching. The utility of the 3D printing model combined with the WebGL-based 3D digital teaching model was evaluated in comparison with traditional teaching methods in 24 medical students. The results showed that the total score of students in the experimental group (mean ± SD, 79.48 ± 12.93) was significantly better than that of the control group (61.00 ± 14.94) with P < 0.05. The practical test scores of the experimental group (18.00 ± 2.70) were significantly higher than those of the control group (13.67 ± 4.96) with P < 0.05. In the satisfaction survey, the feedback questionnaire showed that the interactive teaching model of 3D printing technology combined with WebGL-based 3D visualisation technology was recognised by students in terms of quality and overall satisfaction. In addition, female students who used 3D printing combined with WebGL-based 3D visualisation technology as learning aids had a greater difference in practical test scores from the control group than male students. This study has demonstrated that the interactive teaching mode of 3D printing combined with WebGL-based 3D visualisation technology is beneficial to the teaching of medical imaging, enriching the learning experience of students, and increasing the interaction between teachers and students. © 2021, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.