What We Need From You
The quality of the surgical solution we design depends directly on the quality of the imaging data you provide. These are our requirements — general rules that apply to every case, followed by procedure-specific details.
CT · All Cases
General Imaging Requirements
These apply to every CT case we receive, regardless of procedure type. For soft-tissue (MRI) models, see the MRI section further down.
- 1
Equipment must be calibrated for a 1:1 data ratio.
- 2
Scans must include coronal, sagittal, and axial planes.
- 3
Provide both soft tissue and bone reconstructions with slice thickness <1 mm (ideally 0.625 mm).
- 4
Spacing between slices or inter-slice distance MUST be less than or equal to the slice thickness.
- 5
Share the complete RAW, unprocessed, and uncompressed DICOM folder post-export.
- 6
No motion artifacts allowed — patient must remain still throughout the scan. Any movement requires a repeat scan.
- 7
Minimize metallic artifacts (e.g. braces, jewelry).
- 8
CBCT is not preferred. If used, a quality disclaimer and waiver will be required.
Recommended Convolution Kernel by Scanner
| Scanner | Kernel / Algorithm |
|---|---|
| GE | Bone, Boneplus, HDBONE, Ultra |
| Philips | D, E, YA, YB, YC, YD |
| Siemens | B60, B70, B75, B80 (legacy); Br56, Br59, Br69 (ADMIRE) |
| Toshiba / Canon | FC30, FC50, FC80, FC81 |
| UIH | Sharp |
By Procedure
Procedure-Specific Requirements
In addition to the general requirements above, each procedure type has specific imaging and data needs.
Free Flap Fibula Surgery
- CT of head and neck (jaw open with a 1 cm gap using non-radio-opaque aid).
- CT Angiography of lower limbs — ensure all vessels are clearly visualized.
- Intraoral scans of upper and lower arches and bite scan are recommended — to be shared in .stl or .obj or .ply file format.
- Provide dental drill sleeves for your chosen implant system to enable integration with the fibula guide.
Moulds for Cranioplasty with PMMA Implants
- CT of the entire head and neck region.
Spine and Vertebral Models
- Contrast-enhanced CT required if vertebral artery tracing and visualization is needed.
Orthognathic Surgery
- CT of head and neck (jaw open with a 1 cm gap using non-radio-opaque aid).
- Intraoral scans of upper and lower arches and bite scan are mandatory — to be shared in .stl or .obj or .ply file format.
- If intraoral scan is not feasible, courier us the stone models.
- Clinical photographs of the upper and lower arch, bite and full face (anterior, lateral).
Note: This service is limited to bony movement simulations and does not extend to soft tissue prediction.
Dental Implant Planning
- CT of head and neck only (jaw open with a 1 cm gap, use a non-radio-opaque aid if needed).
- Intraoral scans of the upper and lower arches, and bite scan are mandatory — to be shared in .stl or .obj or .ply file format.
- CT or optical scan of the temporary prosthesis/denture.
- CT of head and neck while wearing the temporary prosthesis in occlusion.
- Provide dental drill sleeves for your chosen implant system to enable integration with the fibula guide.
Zygoma Implant Planning
- CT of head and neck (jaw open with a 1 cm gap using non-radio-opaque aid).
- Intraoral scans of upper and lower arches and bite scans are mandatory — to be shared in .stl or .obj or .ply file format.
- If intraoral scan is not feasible, courier us the stone models.
Option A
- CT or optical scan of the temporary prosthesis.
- CT of head and neck (jaw open with a 1 cm gap using non-radio-opaque aid).
- CT of head and neck with temporary prosthesis in occlusion.
Option B
- CT of temporary prosthesis (with radio-opaque markers).
- CT of head and neck with prosthesis (with markers) in occlusion.
Titanium Patient-Specific Implants (Ti-PSI)
- CT of head and neck with a slice thickness of 0.625 mm only.
- It is critical that there are no artifacts of any kind present in the scan.
- Scan must fully capture the region of interest and surrounding anatomy.
Orthopedic Models
- Scan must fully capture the region of interest and surrounding anatomy.
- Contrast-enhanced CT / CT Angiography required if arterial tracing and visualization is needed.
Cranial Helmets
- CT scan of the head and neck must be taken with a slice thickness of 1 mm or less.
- Scan must fully capture the area of interest and surrounding anatomy.
- Soft padding may be used to stabilize the head, but it must not distort the natural contour of the head or ears. Avoid any materials or devices (e.g., bandages, catheters, monitoring equipment) that could interfere with or alter head shape.
- If the CT scan is more than 30 days old, or if there are noticeable changes in head shape, alternate imaging or additional measurements may be required.
Anatomical Models and Surgical Guides
- CT of head and neck with a slice thickness of 0.625 mm only.
- Scan must fully capture the region of interest and surrounding anatomy.
- If applicable, CT scan of the entire head and neck (jaw open with a 1 cm gap, use a non-radio-opaque aid if needed).
MRI · Soft Tissue
MRI for Soft-Tissue Models
CT is ideal for bone; for soft-tissue models — tumours, vasculature, cardiac, organs, and cartilage — we work from MRI. Unlike CT, MRI has no fixed density scale (no Hounsfield units), so two things make an MRI segmentable into an accurate 3D-printable model: the right sequence for the target tissue, and high-resolution, gap-free 3D geometry. Because MRI protocols vary by scanner and vendor, please involve us before the scan so we can help tailor the sequence.
- 1
Acquire a true 3D volumetric sequence (e.g. MPRAGE, SPACE / CUBE / VISTA, VIBE, or bSSFP) — not thick 2D multi-slice stacks.
- 2
Target ≤1 mm isotropic voxels (ideally smaller). Rule of thumb: the smallest structure of interest should appear on at least 3 consecutive slices.
- 3
Slices must be contiguous with no inter-slice gap. Thick or gapped slices produce stair-stepped, inaccurate models.
- 4
Aim for signal-to-noise and contrast in the region of interest at least as high as you would use for 3D visualisation.
- 5
3T is preferred where resolution and SNR matter (brain, prostate, tumour); 1.5T is fully acceptable for cardiac and most musculoskeletal work.
- 6
Control motion: breath-hold or respiratory navigation for abdomen and liver; ECG gating (± respiratory navigation) for cardiac.
- 7
Use fat suppression (Dixon-based) where fat would obscure the target, e.g. abdomen, liver, and post-contrast tumour.
Recommended Sequence by Target Tissue
| Target | Preferred sequence(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tumour / oncology (brain, liver, renal) | Post-contrast 3D T1 (SPACE / CUBE / VISTA); VIBE alternative; MPRAGE for grey/white-matter contrast | Gadolinium-enhanced, ~1 mm isotropic. 3T; Dixon fat-saturation for body regions. |
| Cardiac / congenital heart | 3D bSSFP / SSFP (TrueFISP / FIESTA) plus contrast-enhanced 3D FLASH angiography | ECG-gated ± respiratory navigation. 1.5T common. ~1 mm isotropic. |
| Vascular / aneurysm | Contrast-enhanced MRA (3D T1 spoiled GRE); TOF or SSFP alternative for lumen | Radiation-free alternative to CT angiography. Contact us to confirm the protocol. |
| Neuro / musculoskeletal / fetal | Brain: 3D T1 MPRAGE + 3D T2 / FLAIR. Cartilage / labrum: MP2RAGE or 3D T2 TrueFISP. Fetal: fast single-shot | Brain and MSK at 3T (MSK also 1.5T), ~1 mm isotropic. Fetal uses motion-freezing sequences. |
DICOM Export
- Share the complete RAW, uncompressed DICOM of the single 3D series — no lossy JPEG, no screenshots or reformatted secondary captures.
- Preserve slice geometry (Image Position / Orientation Patient) so the volume reconstructs accurately.
- One contiguous series per model, correctly labelled, so we can identify the 3D volume rather than a localiser or derived map.
Note: MRI segmentation is more involved than CT, and protocols vary by scanner and vendor. These recommendations align with the RSNA 3D Printing Special Interest Group guidelines — please contact us before scanning so we can confirm the exact sequence for your case.
Quick Reference
Scan Technician Checklist
Use this interactive guide at the scanner — tick items as you go, then reset for the next patient.
CT · All Cases
Universal Imaging Requirements
≤ 1 mm (ideal: 0.625 mm). Thin slices are essential for accurate 3D reconstruction.
Gap between slices must be ≤ slice thickness. No large voids between slices.
Include Axial, Coronal, and Sagittal reconstructions in every scan submission.
Submit both Bone and Soft Tissue kernel reconstructions — both are used in planning.
Share the complete unprocessed, uncompressed DICOM folder post-export. No ZIP, no lossy export.
Patient must remain completely still throughout. Any motion blur = rescan required.
Equipment must be calibrated for a 1:1 data ratio. Inaccurate scaling invalidates all measurements.
Remove jewellery, braces & metallic items. If unavoidable: apply MAR algorithm (iMAR / O-MAR / SEMAR / CLIMAR). Share BOTH original + MAR-corrected DICOM.
Recommended Convolution Kernel by Scanner Brand
| Scanner | Kernel / Algorithm |
|---|---|
| GE | Bone, Boneplus, HDBONE, Ultra |
| Philips | D, E, YA, YB, YC, YD |
| Siemens | B60, B70, B75, B80 (legacy) · Br56, Br59, Br69 (ADMIRE) |
| Toshiba / Canon | FC30, FC50, FC80, FC81 |
| UIH | Sharp |
Procedure-Specific Checklist
Head & Neck · Orthognathic · Zygoma
- CT of head and neck
- Jaw open 1 cm — non-radio-opaque prop only (foam / cotton) — NOT metal
- Intraoral scan: upper arch, lower arch, bite registration — .stl / .obj / .plyRequiredIf intraoral scan not feasible: courier stone models
- Clinical photos: full face (anterior), lateral view, upper arch, lower arch, bite
Service limited to bony movement simulations — does not extend to soft tissue prediction.
Zygoma — Option A
- CT or optical scan of the temporary prosthesis / denture
- CT of head and neck — jaw open 1 cm, non-radio-opaque prop
- CT of head and neck — prosthesis in occlusion (biting down)
Zygoma — Option B
- CT of temporary prosthesis with radio-opaque markers
- CT of head and neck — marked prosthesis in occlusion
Metal Artifact Reduction (MAR)
Metallic artifacts can significantly impact the accuracy of planning, design, and fitment of surgical guides and anatomical models. In cases with metallic hardware (e.g., plates/screws/dental restorations), please reconstruct the CT scan using the scanner's Metal Artifact Reduction (MAR) algorithm (iMAR / O-MAR / SEMAR / CLIMAR or equivalent) and provide both the original and MAR-corrected DICOM series. Let us know if you need any further information!
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