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. 2021 Sep 22;8(10):130.
doi: 10.3390/bioengineering8100130.

Operative Workflow from CT to 3D Printing of the Heart: Opportunities and Challenges

Michele Bertolini  1 , Marco Rossoni  1 , Giorgio Colombo  1
Affiliations

Operative Workflow from CT to 3D Printing of the Heart: Opportunities and Challenges

Michele Bertolini et al. Bioengineering (Basel). .

Abstract

Medical images do not provide a natural visualization of 3D anatomical structures, while 3D digital models are able to solve this problem. Interesting applications based on these models can be found in the cardiovascular field. The generation of a good-quality anatomical model of the heart is one of the most complex tasks in this context. Its 3D representation has the potential to provide detailed spatial information concerning the heart's structure, also offering the opportunity for further investigations if combined with additive manufacturing. When investigated, the adaption of printed models turned out to be beneficial in complex surgical procedure planning, for training, education and medical communication. In this paper, we will illustrate the difficulties that may be encountered in the workflow from a stack of Computed Tomography (CT) to the hand-held printed heart model. An important goal will consist in the realization of a heart model that can take into account real wall thickness variability. Stereolithography printing technology will be exploited with a commercial rigid resin. A flexible material will be tested too, but results will not be so satisfactory. As a preliminary validation of this kind of approach, print accuracy will be evaluated by directly comparing 3D scanner acquisitions to the original Standard Tessellation Language (STL) files.

Keywords: 3D printing; heart model; patient-specific modeling; segmentation; stereolithography.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Key steps to obtain a hand-held heart model, from the stack of medical images until the final result.
Figure 2
Figure 2
On the left, the segmented region seen according to three different planes from a Mimics screenshot. On the right, the correspondent preliminary, rough model of the blood pool. We can appreciate that the right ventricle is not well defined here.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Blood pool model, as obtained after segmentation and post-processing.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Section view of the reconstructed heart model, in which we can appreciate the realistic variable wall thickness.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(A) Reconstructed digital model of the blood pool disposed onto the printing platform (Preform 3.3). We can appreciate the support structures that guarantee the printability of the model; (B) the corresponding printed result, after support removal and post-processing.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(A) “Superior” half of the hollow heart model disposed onto the printing platform (Preform 3.3); (B,C) the final print result, viewed according to two different orientations, as obtained after post-processing.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(A) Detail of the heart model (lower part) printed in flexible resin, in which residual touchpoints are clearly visible; (B) the corresponding upper part, broken in some points (see arrows) during support removal.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Hollow heart model comparison result in CloudCompare. Values are in millimeters.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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