Immortalising cadaveric brain dissection using application photogrammetry

TL;DR

This paper introduces a smartphone-based method to create detailed 3D models of brain dissections, improving neuroanatomy education.

Contribution

A novel, low-cost photogrammetry approach using smartphone apps to create high-fidelity 3D brain dissection models.

Findings

3D models created with a smartphone app showed exceptional visual and structural fidelity.

The method provides accessible and transferrable resources for neuroanatomy education.

Abstract

Cortical and deep brain topography are core components of undergraduate neuroanatomy teaching and neurosurgical training. Due to the technical challenges associated with dissecting and maintaining preserved brains, deep white matter preparations are often omitted from anatomy curricula. This reduced opportunity for tactile neuroanatomical exploration contributes to surface-level approaches to learning and is associated with poorer student outcomes including neurophobia. Photogrammetric technologies present a potential solution by offering alternate modes to learn neuroanatomy. However, these technologies often require advanced scanning and specialised resources. In this study, we present a novel approach using the Klingler dissection method to perform white matter dissections of a formalin-preserved cadaveric brain and create high-fidelity 3D models at each dissection step using a smartphone application. Lateral-to-medial and medial-to-lateral dissections were performed and high-quality 3D models were generated using Polycam. Scanning artefacts were edited in Blender, and the final models were hosted on SketchFab. A sample of models were quantitatively compared with a high-end photogrammetry pipeline and were found to maintain exceptional visual and structural fidelity. The preservation of neuroanatomical dissections in this manner has the potential to improve resource accessibility, enhance spatial understanding, and guide the development of low-cost transferrable teaching resources.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00429-026-03073-0.

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