A Simple Method for Creating Medical Illustrations Using Tablets

Masashi Kimura; Yutaro Kondo; Mizuki Hyodo; Tatsuya Kataoka; Kengo Hashimoto

doi:10.7759/cureus.40841

A Simple Method for Creating Medical Illustrations Using Tablets

Cureus. 2023 Jun 23;15(6):e40841. doi: 10.7759/cureus.40841. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Masashi Kimura^{1

2

3}, Yutaro Kondo^{1

3}, Mizuki Hyodo^{1

3}, Tatsuya Kataoka^{2

3}, Kengo Hashimoto^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Ogaki, JPN.
² Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Toyokawa City Hospital, Toyokawa, JPN.
³ Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, JPN.

Abstract

Medical illustrations are defined as illustrations that contain and convey medical information. Illustrations in surgical records play a pivotal role not only in recording medical information but also in sharing surgical information, improving own surgical skills, and teaching young doctors. However, we believe that creating a medical illustration from a blank sheet of paper is challenging for beginners. The computer-assisted illustration technique proposed in this article not only saves time but also provides accurate and easy-to-understand medical illustrations. This technical note aims to introduce a simple and easy method for creating medical illustrations by tracing intraoperative photographs using an iPad™ and an Apple Pencil™. We believe that "anyone can draw" detailed, easy-to-understand medical illustrations using the present method, and we hope that many young doctors will actively create medical illustrations.

Keywords: computer assist; digital; illustration; intraoperative photograph; surgical record.