3D Printing in Modern Cardiology

Abstract

Background: 3D printing represents an emerging technology in the field of cardiovascular medicine. 3D printing can help to perform a better analysis of complex anatomies to optimize intervention planning. Methods: A systematic review was performed to illustrate the 3D printing technology and to describe the workflow to obtain 3D printed models from patient-specific images. Examples from our laboratory of the benefit of 3D printing in planning interventions were also reported. Results: 3D printing technique is reliable when applied to high-quality 3D image data (CTA, CMR, 3D echography) but it still need the involvement of expert operators for image segmentation and mesh refinement. 3D printed models could be useful in interventional planning, although prospective studies with comprehensive and clinically meaningful endpoints are required to demonstrate the clinical utility. Conclusion: 3D printing can be used to improve anatomy understanding and surgical planning.

A novel formulation for the study of the ascending aortic fluid dynamics with in vivo data

“…According to previous works [68,62], a further aspect to be taken into account is the application of 4D velocity map as inlet boundary condition to accurately simulate the real flow distribution at the inlet of ascending aorta. We plan to include this additional feature as a next step in order to replicate more faithfully the physical flow behaviour from both numerical [69] and experimental point of view [70,71]. A FSI simulation of the model was not performed and, apparently, this could seem to be the main limitation of this study.…”

A completely automated pipeline for 3D reconstruction of human heart from 2D cine magnetic resonance slices

“…This shape can only be fully described in 3D. The reconstruction of 3D heart shape is also important in 3D printing applications that represent a growing field [ 46 , 47 ]. To this end, here we have proposed a completely automated approach for reconstructing 3D heart meshes from 2D cine MR slices.…”

3D model‐guided transcatheter closure of ascending aorta pseudoaneurysm with the novel Amplatzer Trevisio intravascular delivery system

“…15,22 In this setting, 3D printing technology has recently emerged as an effective tool for preprocedural planning of complex transcatheter interventions. [16][17][18][19] This approach adds several advantages on simple 3D digital reconstruction in that it allows to more clearly understand the spatial relationship between the different cardiac and extracardiac structures, making easier to plan vascular access, entry angle to the target lesion and device manipulation, as well as to entirely mimic ex vivo the planned interventional approach.…”

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15] In this setting, thorough knowledge of the anatomic details and accurate procedure planning using 3D printing technology could be crucial for success. [16][17][18][19] In addition, using soft and trackable delivery systems may be useful to correctly allocate the occluding device as well as to anticipate its final position before release. 20 We report on a case of AAP closure guided by 3D printed model using an Amplatzer Septal Occluder (ASO; Abbott, Plymouth MN) device implanted with the novel delivery cable Amplatzer Trevisio intravascular delivery system (ATIDS).…”