Additive manufacturing (AM) aka 3D printing is vital and applicable to several fields of healthcare, such as orthopedics. In the orthopedic field, the ability to create patient-specific bone models using 3D printing has positively impacted surgical training, preoperative planning, patient communication, and clinical outcomes. The goal of this study is to utilize AM to create a patient-specific 3D anatomical spine model. Finding the best method to create patient-specific models accurately is essential since they are used to represent the anatomy of a patient. Image segmentation was performed with 3D slicer software, which allows computerized tomography (CT) scans of a patient to be uploaded and viewed in 3D. Using the software, certain segments of the vertebrae can be segmented, meshed and exported for printing. In this research, 3 vertebrae from the lumbar section of the spine as well as 2 spinal discs and the spinal cord were printed based on the CT scans from a 63-year-old male patient. To best reflect a realistic look and feel, the vertebrae were printed with a composite material called SimuBone and the discs and cord were printed in thermoplastic polyurethane. This method was successful in creating a patient-specific model.
