Phillip Kim, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Jayne Kang, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Harshna Vinodbhai Vadvala MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Brian Burns Ghoshhajra MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

3D printing is a relatively new technology with expansive benefits in medicine; especially in cardiovascular imaging. The ability to hold and touch an analog 3D representation of a patient’s heart, particularly with complex congenital heart disease, could aid in education, diagnosis, and even treatment planning.

DICOM images of two patients, one with normal coronary artery origins with dilated sinuses of Valsalva (SOV) and one with anomalous left anterior descending (LAD) artery arising from the right SOV, were retrieved. Unrelated data, such as pulmonary arteries, veins, left and right atriums and ventricles, and descending aorta were manually removed using a 3D workstation (Osirix 3.6.1, Geneva, Switzerland). Stereolithography (STL) files were generated with the workstation. Edited images were sliced using Skeinforge 50 with pypy plugin (Python, CWI, Amsterdam, Netherlands), at a layer thickness of 0.2 millimeters and converted to gcode, the format accepted by a commercial 3D printer (MakerBot Replicator 2X, Makerbot, Brooklyn, NY).

Two hollow life-size aortic root models were printed. Both models required 12 hours to print, each weighing less than one pound. Results faithfully represented the true root anatomy, with the dilated SOV model’s short axis diameter of the sinotubular junction (3.4 x 3.7cm) very close to the measurements made on DICOM images (3.5 x 3.6cm). The anomalous LAD model clearly depicts the anomaly.

Accurate 3D printing of a life-size aortic root is feasible in a 12-hour cycle using commercially available printers and software. The educational and clinical benefits of 3D printed models warrant further exploration.

http://abstract.rsna.org/uploads/2014/14016662/14016662_9wq3.jpg

Kim, P, Kang, J, Vadvala, H, Ghoshhajra, B, The Use of Rapid 3D Model Printing to Illustrate Complex Aortic Root Anatomy.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14016662.html