Personalized Treatment Planning for Heart Interventions using Tissue-Mimicking 3D Printing

Abstract

"The most important contribution of our research was the development and the validation of the novel sensor-enabled tissue-mimicking 3D printed phantom. We have demonstrated the feasibility of manufacturing such a phantom to provide not only an accurate anatomic model but also a benchtop testing platform that gives very important pathophysiologic information regarding the cardiac intervention. "Percutaneous valve treatment has been frequently targeted for 3D printing-guided preprocedural planning. In a recent study, we have developed a novel treatment planning platform using sensor-enabled tissue-mimicking 3D printing to quantitatively predict the occurrence, severity and location of paravalvular leak after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. This platform consisted of two major components: a novel tissue-mimicking 3D printing technique and an in vitro imaging-based strain quantification technique. We have demonstrated the feasibility of manufacturing, such a phantom to provide not only an accurate anatomic model but also a benchtop testing platform that gives important pathophysiologic information regarding the cardiac intervention. As cardiovascular medicine is shifting more toward personalized treatment, 3D printing will play a more important role in patient-specific planning for heart procedures. 3D printing has become a subject of great interest in the field of cardiovascular medicine. Empowered by the recent development in high-speed and high-resolution 3D imaging (e.g., the multidetector row CT technology for cardiovascular imaging), 3D printing has been used to replicate patient-specific cardiac anatomies for a variety of applications, such as physician training, patient communication and treatment planning [1]. Recent development in the multimaterial jetting technique using colorful materials of variant hardness and pliability is enabling the creation of lifelike anatomic phantoms, which provide both realistic visual representations and natural tactile sensations of the human organs.Due to the rapid growth of percutaneous treatments for valvular heart disease and the inherent complexity of the catheter-based intervention on a beating heart, percutaneous valve treatment has been frequently targeted for 3D printing-guided preprocedural planning. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an established therapeutic option for symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve opening) who are at high risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. Despite the fast evolution of the TAVR technology, post-TAVR paravalvular leak (PVL) is still a significant drawback and this complication occurs more often than with surgical valves [2]. Moderate-to-severe PVL after TAVR has been shown to be an independent risk factor for increased shortand long-term mortality. Even a mild PVL post-TAVR has been found to be associated with a poorer outcome [3]. Given the emerging expansion of the TAVR indication to the lower risk population, prevention of post-TAVR PVL becomes even more critica...

Journal of 3D Printing in Medicine Foreword

“…Dentistry is a field where 3D printing is already starting to make an impact, and this editorial highlights the role of 3D printing in diagnosis, treatment and education in dentistry. Our second-mostread article was an editorial that discussed the role of tissue-mimicking 3D printing in the personalised treatment for cardiovascular problems [2]. Written by Zhen Qian and Mani Vannan, this article concluded that this method of treatment is showing promise and will have an important role in the future.…”