Patients receiving transcatheter cardiac valve replacements tend to be more fragile than those getting open heart surgery. It is particularly important to place artificial valves accurately the first time to achieve optimal hemodynamic results, so clinicians at University of California Los Angeles are using patient CT and MRI scans to 3D print one-to-one model hearts and practice on them in preparation for procedures.
The first case involves a patient with atypically large pulmonary arteries, making the surgical team unsure whether an artificial valve will fit and work well with his unique anatomy. Combining CT and MRI data, the team crafted a copy of the patient’s heart using a silicon-like material using a 3D printer. Using the model, the team was able to test the new valve to see how well it will fit in the real heart. Discovering that it does indeed work well with the patient’s unusual heart anatomy, the clinicians went ahead and implanted the new valve having the knowledge to position and deploy it accurately exactly where needed.
Here’s a UCLA video showing off the new 3D printing capabilities being utilized at UCLA: