Is there a superior simulator for human anatomy education? How virtual dissection can overcome the anatomic and pedagogic limitations of cadaveric dissection

Kathryn E. Darras*, Anique B. H. de Bruin, Savvas Nicolaou, Nils Dahlstrom, Anders Persson, Jeroen van Merrienboer, Bruce B. Forster

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Educators must select the best tools to teach anatomy to future physicians and traditionally, cadavers have always been considered the "gold standard" simulator for living anatomy. However, new advances in technology and radiology have created new teaching tools, such as virtual dissection, which provide students with new learning opportunities. Virtual dissection is a novel way of studying human anatomy through patient computed tomography (CT) scans. Through touchscreen technology, students can work together in groups to "virtually dissect" the CT scans to better understand complex anatomic relationships. This article presents the anatomic and pedagogic limitations of cadaveric dissection and explains what virtual dissection is and how this new technology may be used to overcome these limitations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)752-753
Number of pages2
JournalMedical Teacher
Volume40
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2018

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