Visualization of 3D Models Through Virtual Reality in the Planning of Congenital Cardiothoracic Anomalies Correction: An Initial Experience

Abstract

We present the case of an nine-year-old girl with double outlet right ventricle with noncommitted ventricular septal defect and malposition of the great arteries who had undergone repair at the age of seven months. Six years later, the patient presented with right ventricular failure, conduit calcification with obstruction, and obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract. Three-dimensional models reconstructed by Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images of the patient were visualized in a virtual reality system to help plan the surgical correction of the intracardiac congenital anomalies. This tool allowed us to inspect the intracardiac anatomy in an immersive environment with a clearer sense of perspective.