Advances in the surgical and interventional management of children with congenital heart disease has improved survival and outcomes. Each such patient is born with specific anatomical variations which call for detailed evaluations so to plan for appropriate patient-specific management. Significant progress has been made in commercially available two-dimensional imaging – i.e. echocardiogram, CT, and MRI – yet using such, three-dimensional anatomical details can be difficult to accurately represent. In addressing this concern, it has been shown that patient-specific three-dimensional modeling can be useful for interventional procedural or surgical planning [1]. Here we present two cases for which patient-specific anatomical three-dimensional modeling and printing were utilized for (1) the pre-sizing and placement of stents within a complex bifurcation pulmonary artery stenosis; and (2) evaluating the candidacy of the patient’s anatomy for a transcatheter pulmonary valve placement. Detailed within this technical brief are de-identified case information, workflows for model generations, and results regarding clinical usage. In conclusion, we found these patient-specific models to be an advantageous resource for treatment planning in these two pediatric congenital heart disease cases.

The following paper presents a system for creating real-time visuals based on multiple simultaneous vocal inputs. The goal of this work is to augment live musical performances by visually conveying the spirit and structure of the piece. Using the Processing programming language, sounds are analyzed and return pitch and amplitude as numerical values. Visuals representing pitch and amplitude for each of the musicians are created in real-time and are projected concurrently with the live musical performance. This process is demonstrated by work presented here with a professional 8-voice ensemble. As part of this project, a library of functions is being created and shared to allow others to implement similar productions. IntroductionThe initial goal of this work is to create a visual counterpart to the on-tour performances of Cantus, an a cappella men's vocal ensemble. The artistic goal of the work is to explore the connections between sight and sound and to add musically relevant and engaging visuals that would react to the singers' voices in real time. A secondary goal of the efforts is to create these functionalities in a way that can easily be modified and shared by other users.

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Congenital heart disease – structural abnormalities of the heart that are present at and persistent beyond birth – affects about one in every 100 live births every year in the United States [1]. One such disease is that of the aberrant coronary artery, which describes abnormalities of coronary artery morphology. In our case, we examine a patient exhibiting complex aberrant right coronary artery – a rare congenital heart defect. Pre- and post-procedural imaging was acquired from this case, and subsequent three-dimensional (3D) anatomical models were created. These models were used postoperatively to identify and describe the patient’s disease presentation for the purposes of research and education, and were incorporated into virtual reality (VR) scenes in order to further educational insights.

The major aim of this project is to construct a growing database of information regarding specific manifestations of congenital heart diseases (CHDs), subsequent treatments, clinical cases, and patient outcomes. This will include 3D models generated from clinical imaging of individual patient hearts and respective de-identified clinical case information — all of which will be incorporated onto the free-access Atlas of Human Cardiac Anatomy website (http://www.vhlab.umn.edu/atlas/), where anyone can learn more about these diseases and their complexities [1]. Generated models can also be used for 3D printing, such as for pre-surgical planning, as well as for incorporation into virtual reality in order to expand outreach and education efforts [2]. Future work will incorporate computational modeling to enhance insights relative to treatment strategies and surgical planning. By studying a broad range of these unique individual cases, it will be possible for patients, clinicians, and medical device designers alike to better understand the clinical presentations of congenital heart diseases and develop more effective treatment strategies.