3D Vascular Replicas Composed of Elastomer–Hydrogel Skin Multilayers for Simulation of Endovascular Intervention

Abstract

Multilayered 3D vascular replicas incorporating the complementary advantages of elastomers and hydrogels can serve as a training platform to realistically simulate endovascular intervention, the preferred therapeutic procedure for cardio‐cerebrovascular disease. However, the fabrication process is challenging because of the difficulty in uniformly coating a thin hydrogel layer only on the inner surface of tortuous 3D vascular replicas composed of an elastomer monolayer. This study proposes an effective strategy to design and produce high‐fidelity 3D vascular replicas composed of elastomer–hydrogel multilayers by coating hydrogel polymers with robust interfaces only on the inner surface of the elastomer monolayer. The thin hydrogel layer can impart soft surface elasticity, lubricity, and superaerophobicity to the elastomer monolayer with high bulk elasticity, with deionized water alone as the circulating liquid, without the aid of additional lubricants. Owing to the complementary properties of the elastomers and hydrogels, multilayered 3D vascular replicas facilitate the control of medical devices and internal circulation of fluids, enabling realistic simulations of endovascular intervention under optical images in addition to X‐ray angiography. Furthermore, through practice courses, neurosurgeons demonstrated that the multilayered 3D vascular replicas are a reasonable platform for developing hand–eye coordination with pre‐procedure simulations and case‐specific training on demanding surgical sites.

3D Printing of Physical Organ Models: Recent Developments and Challenges

“…After being covered with other materials, these sacrificial structures can be melted or dissolved away to obtain the desired hollow structure or flow channel, often for making the vessels inside organs. [78,79] It is easier to 3D print molds than organ models because the forms are simpler. Various hard materials are available and any color is acceptable.…”

“…After being covered with other materials, these sacrificial structures can be melted or dissolved away to obtain the desired hollow structure or flow channel, often for making the vessels inside organs. [ 78 , 79 ]…”

“…There are also ways that building hydrogel layers on the inner surface of the final models to reduce the surface roughness. [ 79 ] On the other hand, not all organ models need to have high surface properties, the importance of simplifying processes and reducing costs is as much as improving the quality of models.…”

“…In most of the existing reports, organ models are classified as a direction of the application of 3D printing in the medical field with various names, such as “anatomical models”, [ 98 ] “prototypes”, [ 3 ] “replica,” [ 79 ] or “phantoms”, [ 48 , 78 , 82 , 99 , 100 , 101 ] and play a role in various surgical operations. Some other reports have further subdivided organ models according to specific criteria.…”

“…Reproduced with permission. [ 79 ] Copyright 2020, Wiley‐VCH. G) An endoscopic third ventriculostomy model in the cerebrospinal fluid–mimicking fluid and a neurosurgery model component containing the pons and basilar artery.…”