(254)CREATION OF A DIGITAL TRAINING PACKAGE FOR CANINE NEUROANATOMY FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE VETERINARY CURRICULUM

摘要

The current methods used to communicate and present the complex arrangement of vasculature oftenfalls short in undergraduate veterinary neuroanatomy training. The teaching resources currentlyavailable are primarily 2-Dimensional (2D)textbook diagrams, photographs and medical imagingscans showing a fixed viewpoint. 2D representations of 3-Dimensional (3D)objects unavoidably leadsto the loss of certain spatial information, which can present problems when translating the knowledgeacquired using these methods to the 3D patient.In recognition of these issues, the value of computer-assisted learning packages offering interactive3D anatomical models has long since been realized in medical education. The ability to view andmanipulate an object in 3D space has been shown to improve anatomical learning by allowing spatialrelationships, which are all too often unclear in 2D materials, to be fully appreciated and understood.Despite the routine usage of such technology in medical education, equivalent resources are scarce inveterinary education. It was therefore the aim of this project to develop an interactive application forundergraduate veterinary education to target the leading problems associated with learningneuroanatomy, primarily the inability of students to visualize the complex spatial arrangements of thecerebral vasculature from 2D resources.This project presents a method that has been successful in developing a 3D reconstruction of thecanine brain and associated vasculature through segmentation, surface generation and postprocessingof readily available medical imaging data. This reconstructed 3D model has beenimplemented into an engaging interactive application, designed using Unity 3D, with features including360° rotation, vessels highlighted and labeled on selection as well as the display of vessel-specificinformation. In addition to this, revision materials and opportunities for self-assessment were includedbased on content of the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVMS)anatomy course at theUniversity of Glasgow, School of Veterinary Medicine.The lack of similar resources in this field suggests this workflow is original within a veterinary context.There is therefore great potential to explore this method further, and introduce a new dimension intoveterinary learning.