Objective To explore the application value of three-dimensional visualization technique in clinical anatomical teaching of hepatobiliary surgery.

Methods A total of 30 senior postgraduate students majoring in surgery from Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were selected and accepted traditional teaching (n=30) or three-dimensional visualization teaching (n=30), respectively. Traditional teaching was mainly based on surgery textbook, liver anatomical atlas, enhanced liver CT images and corresponding videos of surgical procedures while three-dimensional visualization teaching was mainly based on three-dimensional visualization evaluation images based on enhanced CT data and videos of surgical procedures. Trained students successively accomplished evaluation scales which include trainee subjective assessment, liver vasculature anatomy, liver segmentation and virtual liver surgery planning after each teaching method training.

Results Grades of trainees in subjective assessment (33.3±5.4 vs 22.0±9.2, P < 0.001), mastery in liver basic vasculature anatomy (30.5±6.3 vs 19.8±9.2, P < 0.001), liver spatial vasculature anatomy (15.9±2.5 vs 10.0±4.6, P < 0.001) and virtual liver surgery planning (16.1±2.7 vs 11.4±4.5, P < 0.001) under three-dimensional visualization training were significantly higher than those under conventional training, while grades on mastery of liver segmentation anatomy were similar between two methods without significant difference (16.7±9.3 vs 15.7±9.9, P=0.64).

Conclusion Clinical teaching based on three-dimensional visualization technique could be well accepted by clinical medical students, its overall teaching efficacy was superior to conventional teaching method with higher teaching quality and efficiency and thus it is recommended for further application.