It has been one of the most challenging parts of the anatomical curriculum and is one of the causes of “neurophobia”, whose main implication is a negative influence on the choice of neurology in the near future. Neuroanatomy has been deemed crucial for clinical neurosciences. Two different methods are discussed for the key segmentation and 3D reconstruction steps, by either using professional commercial software, i.e., Materialise Mimics, or utilizing a combination of the widely available software Adobe Photoshop, as well as a freeware software, OsiriX Lite. This model was then 3D printed with polyamide through a commercial online service. Autodesk 3D Studio Max, available through freeware student/educator license, was used to three-dimensionally trace the 3D reconstructed CNs in order to create smooth graphically designed CNs and to assure proper fitting of the CNs into their respective neural foramina and fissures. The bony skull base was also reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) data. In this technical note, after manually perfecting the segmentation of each CN and brain stem on each SSFP-MRI image, initial 3D reconstruction was performed. The complex neuroanatomy of the CNs may be better understood and depicted by the use of highly customizable advanced 3D printed models. It comprises a variety of automated manufacturing techniques, which use virtual 3D data sets to fabricate solid forms in a layer-by-layer technique. The emerging technologies in rapid prototyping or 3D printing overcome this limitation. However, we are still limited by visualization on flat screens. High-resolution three-dimensional (3D) visualization can now quickly be performed at the workstation. Steady-state free precession (SSFP) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can demonstrate details down to the cranial nerve (CN) level.

Osirix lite 3d printing