3D Vector Reconstruction of the Muscles of the Ventral Region of the Neck from Anatomical Sections of Korean Visible Human at the Paris Descartes Anatomy Laboratory

Objective: To carry out a 3D vector reconstruction of the muscles of the ventral region of the neck from anatomical sections of the “Korean Visible Human” for educational purposes. Materials and Methods: The anatomical subject was a 33-year-old Korean man who died of leukemia. He was 164 cm tall and weighed 55 kgs. The anatomical sections were made in 2010 after an MRI and a CT scan. A special saw (cryomacrotome) made it possible to make cuts 0.2 mm thick on the frozen body, i.e. 5960 cuts. Sections numbered 1500 to 2000 (or 500 cuts covering the neck) were used for our study. A segmentation by manual contouring of each anatomical element of the anterior neck region was done using Winsurf version 3.5 software on a laptop PC running Windows 7 equipped with an 8 gigabyte RAM. Results: We modeled the sternocleidomastoid muscles, the supra-hyoid muscles, the infra-hyoid muscles and the muscle structures of the anterior neck region, the aero-digestive axis of the anterior neck region and the vasculo-nervous axis of the neck. This model is easily manipulated using the Acrobat 3Dpdf interface. Each item accessible in a menu can be displayed, hidden or made transparent, and 3D labels are available as well as educational menus for learning anatomy. This vector model has been integrated into the Diva3d virtual dissection table, a new educational tool used by universities and medical schools to learn anatomy. This model was also uploaded to the Sketchfab? website and 3D printed using an ENDER? pro 3 printer. Conclusion: This original work constitutes a remarkable educational tool for the anatomical study of the anterior neck region and can also be used as a 3D atlas for simulation purposes for training in therapeutic gestures.