Capellini Katia, Ait-Ali Lamia, Pak Vitali, Cantinotti Massimiliano, Murzi Michele, Vignali Emanuele, Fanni Benigno Marco, Clemente Alberto, Celi Simona, Gasparotti Emanuele
BioCardioLab, Bioengineering Unit, Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, Massa, Italy.
Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Massa, Italy.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024 Aug 2;12:1369514. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1369514. eCollection 2024.
Three-dimensional printed models are widely used in the medical field for surgical and interventional planning. In the context of complex cardiovascular defects such as pediatric congenital heart diseases (CHDs), the adoption of 3D printed models could be an effective tool to improve decision-making. In this paper, an investigation was conducted into the characteristics of 3D printed models and their added value in understanding and managing complex pediatric congenital heart disease, also considering the associated cost.
Volumetric MRI and CT images of subjects with complex CHDs were retrospectively segmented, and the associated 3D models were reconstructed. Different 3D printing technologies and materials were evaluated to obtain the 3D printed models of cardiac structures. An evaluation of time and costs associated with the 3D printing procedure was also provided. A two-level 3D printed model assessment was carried out to investigate the most suitable 3D printing technology for the management of complex CHDs and the effectiveness of 3D printed models in the pre-surgical planning and surgical strategies' simulations.
Among the different techniques, selective laser sintering resulted to be the most suitable due to its reduced time and cost and for the positive clinical feedback (procedure simulation, surface finish, and reproduction of details).
The adoption of 3D printed models contributes as an effective tool in the management of complex CHDs, enabling planning and simulations of surgical procedures in a safer way.
三维打印模型在医学领域被广泛用于手术和介入规划。在诸如小儿先天性心脏病（CHD）等复杂心血管缺陷的背景下，采用三维打印模型可能是改善决策的有效工具。本文对三维打印模型的特性及其在理解和管理复杂小儿先天性心脏病方面的附加价值进行了调查，同时也考虑了相关成本。
对患有复杂CHD的受试者的容积MRI和CT图像进行回顾性分割，并重建相关的三维模型。评估了不同的三维打印技术和材料以获得心脏结构的三维打印模型。还提供了与三维打印过程相关的时间和成本评估。进行了两级三维打印模型评估，以研究用于管理复杂CHD的最合适的三维打印技术以及三维打印模型在术前规划和手术策略模拟中的有效性。
在不同技术中，选择性激光烧结因其时间和成本降低以及积极的临床反馈（程序模拟、表面光洁度和细节再现）而被证明是最合适的。
采用三维打印模型作为管理复杂CHD的有效工具发挥了作用，能够以更安全的方式进行手术程序的规划和模拟。
