The Design and Construction of a Medical System to Optimize the Endoscopic Ultrasound Procedure

This project involved the use ofrapid prototyping to produce a model of a section ofthe gastrointestinal (GI) tract which could be used for practice ofthe Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) procedure. Computed Tomography (CT) scans were obtained from Dr. Donald Jacobsen, Assistant Professor ofRadiology at the Medical College ofWisconsin in Milwaukee. Apart from the final testing, the entire project was performed at the Milwaukee School ofEngineering's Rapid Prototyping Center. To convert the CT scans into files that are compatible with the rapid prototyping machines, a software developed by Materialise, N.V., was used. The rapid prototype models were used as master patterns for molds so that a polyurethane material with similar properties to human tissue could be used for actual simulation. Finally, these polyurethane models were placed in an enclosure and surrounded by a gelatin to simulate fatty abdominal tissue. The system was tested at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Anthony Bohorfoush in conjunction with the Medical Physics Department ofthe Medical College ofWisconsin.