Anatomy is the cornerstone of medicine. It is the science of scientifically studying the structure of any living being. The origin of the term can be traced far back to the civilization of the ancient Greeks when Theophratus, an ardent disciple of Aristotle used the Greek word “ ανατομή/anatomí” meaning “to cut up” to define the process of performing dissections. Till date, dissection of cadavers remains the gold standard for learning the anatomical aspects of the human body.
However, despite being a time-honored standard for studying human anatomy, cadaver dissection and prosecution have begun to make a slow exit. This shift in trend is because of a number of reasons. Key among them are the paucity of fresh cadavers, extensive cost of transportation, embalming and storage, risk of associated infections, long exposure to a noxious formalin-suffused environment, ethical, religious, and psychological concerns.
In view of the limitations, curriculums around the world have downsized the hours dedicated to cadaver dissection and prosecution. As per a study published by the American Association of Anatomy, learning anatomy using immersive virtual reality instead of cadavers actually improved test outcomes in undergrad students. Medical schools in the US have already initiated a cadaver-less anatomy curriculum. Even the medical schools in the United Kingdom, as well as Australia, have begun to offer alternatives to the traditional cadaver dissection.
One of the most popular alternatives to traditional cadaver dissection is the use of virtual dissection tables. A virtual dissection table is a technological alternative to conventional cadaver dissection. It contrives a life-size virtual human corpse to enable medical students and professionals to gain anatomical acumen and hands-on experience in dissecting a virtual cadaver.
CADAVIZ is India’s first and most advanced virtual human dissection table. It employs cutting-edge technology to visualize human anatomy in 3D. Users can interactively learn to dissect a life-size virtual human cadaver. Unlike traditional cadavers, CADAVIZ requires no chemicals to operate, nor does it have an unpleasant smell; also, there are no recurring facility costs associated with its use. CADAVIZ completely eliminates the ethical, emotional, religious, and psychological constraints of working on an actual human cadaver. In today’s transformative era of medical technology, CADAVIZ serves as a great educational tool for medical students. As more and more medical schools are implementing virtual dissection tables in their anatomy curriculum, let’s take a look at the 10 key reasons why you must learn anatomy using CADAVIZ.
1. IN-DEPTH EXPERIENCE OF CADAVER DISSECTION
CADAVIZ is a 6ft long table, designed to give hands-on experience of dissecting a virtual human cadaver. Users can not only visualize a full-sized human body but can also interactively execute dissections using their fingers as a scalpel. CADAVIZ includes a series of user modules that walk the user through various dissection procedures.
Users can select the anatomical region to perform the dissection. Learn to make perfect skin incisions, pull away the skin and remove the underlying tissues to visually perceive the inward anatomy of the human body. Internal organs are created with an unprecedented level of 3D precision and accuracy to provide a comprehensive understanding of complex anatomical structures.
2. CONTENT ALIGNED WITH CURRENT MEDICAL CURRICULUM
Users can select the anatomical region to perform the dissection. Learn to make perfect skin incisions, pull away the skin and remove the underlyingIn India, most of the medical institutes have aligned their course content as per CBME norms. In-fact, not only in India, MCI’s CBME curriculum has even been adopted by a number of medical colleges across the globe. In line with the MCI’s objectives, CADAVIZ is a medtech marvel for acquiring both skills as well as knowledge. Students using CADAVIZ can explore in-depth human Gross Anatomy, Regional Anatomy, Anatomy of Organs, Cadaveric Sectional Anatomy, and many more.
3. EXTENSIVE STUDENT INTERACTION AND LIMITLESS PRACTICE
One of the principal causes of decline in cadaver dissections is the lack of cadavers available for medical purposes. Medical Institutes around the globe are afflicted by cadaver scarcity. In Indian medical academia, government and private institutes of almost all states face cadaver scarcity. The issue seems to be worse for Ayurvedic and dental colleges. Paucity of cadavers limits student interaction. Because of this, not every student gets the opportunity to explore human anatomy in detail.
Also, traditional cadavers are not kind to mistakes. If a student makes a mistake while performing dissection on an actual cadaver, they would have to wait for the next cadaver to rectify that mistake. Furthermore, once a cadaver is dissected, studying the external aspects of the same organ or body is not possible. CADAVIZ helps to completely resolve these issues. It offers each and every student an opportunity to interact exclusively with virtually human anatomy.
The principal premise of incorporating cadaver dissection into anatomy curriculum is to allow students to observe, perform and study different anatomical structures of the human body in great detail. By simply hitting the reset button on CADAVIZ, users can limitlessly repeat and practice procedures without the added stress of keeping the whole class waiting.
4. EXPLORE PHYSIOLOGY AND INTERNAL ANATOMY
CADAVIZ not only helps the user to visualize human anatomy but also aids in mastering concepts of human physiology. With the help of innovative and interactive animations, instructive descriptions and medically accurate images, users can memorize medical terminologies with ease.
CADAVIZ is excellent for visualizing and understanding essential physiological concepts like haematology, nerve and muscle physiology, cardiovascular physiology, immunology, endocrinology and many more.
Additionally, CADAVIZ uses refined technology to provide 360° extensive visualization of internal organs. It uses high resolution to perceive internal organs with real anatomical details and the highest level of accuracy.
5. EXPLORE A RANGE OF SUBJECTS
CADAVIZ, is the most advanced virtual dissection table created till date. It amalgamates the principles of virtual reality and mixed reality to deliver a real-life sensation of cadaver dissection in a virtual life-size human body. Its three-dimensional representation of human anatomy allows students to explore a range of subjects.
With CADAVIZ, users can experience osteology in 3D. The students can study each bone separately, visualize their attachment, learn about their landmarks, understand the process of ossification and gain a comprehensive overview of the human skeletal system.
CADAVIZ helps to deepen understanding of radiology. It offers the opportunity to analyze radiological investigation of case studies. You can gain a practical edge by investigating MRIs, CT Scans and X-Ray images of clinical cases.
CADAVIZ also enables the user to major the depths of microscopic examinations with its histology and histopathology module. A diverse range of stain specimens alongside standard hematoxylin and eosin specimens provides the user exceptional clarity on the subject matter.
6. EXPLORE HUMAN GESTATION AND EMBRYOLOGY
CADAVIZ offers a visual walk through the different stages of gestation. With the help of a pregnant female body, users have the opportunity to visualize and understand the anatomical correlation between the mother and the fetus. You can perceive the changes brought onto the human body as a consequence of gestational physiology.
CADAVIZ has an interactive module on embryology. Users can visualize and interact with the various phases of prenatal growth. You can trace the morphological and functional changes occurring during the germinal, embryonic and fetal stages of gestation. With the help of simulations, explore the process of spermatogenesis and oogenesis. Understand the four stages of the menstrual cycle. Apprehend the interplay between the hormones of the pituitary gland and ovarian hormones in precipitating each stage of the female sexual cycle.
Visualise and grasp the concepts of contraception and fertility. Familiarise with the factors affecting fetal growth. Improve your understanding of the various invasive and non-invasive methods of prenatal diagnostics.
7. ADAPTIVE AND INTERACTIVE LEARNING
CADAVIZ offers an intensive, interactive modality for learning anatomy. It has simplified anatomical learning by allowing the user to choose from a series of instruction modules. CADAVIZ has incorporated instructions for defining various categories of human anatomical regions, planes and positions in three-dimensional human anatomy. CADAVIZ also provides interactive modules to enable the user to select from a series of required tools for dissection, along with teaching the user on how to hold the tools as well as how to stepwise perform dissection of each anatomical region.
8. SPLIT SCREEN, VISIBILITY MENU AND MULTI-TOUCH FEATURE
CADAVIZ offers multiple split screens to perform comparative studies, its visibility menu enables the user to show, hide and annotate individual systems, categories, structures and details. With the help of multi-touch functionality, CADAVIZ enables more than one point of contact with the surface. This multi touch functionality of CADAVIZ enables the user to interactively explore and collaborate. Additionally, CADAVIZ offers multi-display stream functionality. Thereby allowing the user to extend their workspace across multiple screens. With CADAVIZ, you are empowered to analyze, compare and judiciously discuss findings with colleagues. You can collaborate, arrange and dynamically distribute information.
9. ACCESS TO LARGE NUMBER OF CLINICAL CASES
CADAVIZ offers access to a vast library of clinical examinations, clinical cases, DICOM images and more. Users can learn about various diagnostics and therapeutic procedures performed everyday in hospitals. With life-like simulations, students can visualize, understand and learn to perform routine procedures such as colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, angioplasty, angiography and CPR.
10. MITIGATES ETHICAL, RELIGIOUS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES
Religion and science have never quite been on the same page. Religious institutions all around the world lay a lot of stress on the post-mortem sanctity of the human body. Additionally, the concept of autonomy states that each and every individual has the right to decide the disposal of his or her body. Therefore, the respect of human life and rights, generates a major ethical dilemma against traditional cadaver dissection. According to a study published by Translational Research in Anatomy, unethical use of cadavers for anatomy dissection may have a negative psychological impact on the students. Cadaver dissection is a rite of passage for medical students. However, for many students, it may be their first encounter with the human body. Consequently, traditional cadaveric dissection is a source of nausea, psychological stress, fear and anxiety for many anatomy first-year students.
With CADAVIZ students can interactively learn to perform dissections on a virtual full-size human body. Users can gain extensive insights into the human anatomy, without causing any disrespect to the cadaver. Integrating CADAVIZ as an active part of the anatomy curriculum will for sure address religious, ethical as well as psychological constraints associated with traditional cadaver dissection.
CONCLUSION
Concept of using a virtual dissection table either in place of or in conjugation with traditional dissection methods is rapidly being adopted by medical colleges around the world. In this context, CADAVIZ is a state of art technology. The mere presence of a CADAVIZ will enhance the reputation of any institute manyfold.
CADAVIZ not only mitigates the constant need to procure fresh cadavers. It fosters a deeper understanding of the human anatomy by allowing users to perform repeated procedures and hone their skills to perfection. Its quizzes and practical assessment feature allows the user to effectively assess their gained knowledge. With CADAVIZ, students can learn anatomy in a stress-free environment.
In conclusion, CADAVIZ offers an interesting, engaging and interactive learning platform for the current and all future students of medicine and hence CADAVIZ is the future of medical education.
Writer – Dr. Debashree Das
Medical Content Writer