Use of photogrammetry-based digital models in anatomy education: An overview

Purpose

Photogrammetry is a technique which includes taking multiple digital photographs from various angles and using those photographs to create three-dimensional virtual models. We aimed to review the outcomes of the implementation of photogrammetry in anatomy education.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane library for studies with purpose to explore the outcomes of the use of photogrammetry-based digital models in anatomy teaching. From each included paper we extracted: authors, number of participants, anatomical region of interest, educational outcomes, and their level according to Kirkpatrick hierarchy.

Results

Seven studies were included. Four of them concerned neuroanatomy and three of them concerned other systems. All studies comprised participants’ perceptions about the educational intervention, while two of them also evaluated anatomical knowledge acquisition. Overall, the participants rated photogrammetry-based models very highly and preferred them to other teaching tools. These models were also shown able to significantly enhance the anatomical knowledge.

Conclusions

Photogrammetry-based digital objects seem to have a promising anatomy teaching potential. The value of these objects seems to be especially pertinent in teaching the relatively complex field of neuroanatomy. Further research may investigate the effectiveness of photogrammetry-based models in comparison with other anatomy education tools, and with other methods of creation of three-dimensional virtual objects.