"In recent years, 3D printing technology has been utilized to create patient-specific coronary phantoms that have been successfully used for flow measurements," presenter Lauren Shepard from the University at Buffalo told AuntMinnie.com. "Our group has developed coronary tree phantoms from materials that are capable of sustaining physiological flow and pressure conditions."
To test their 3D-printed models, Shepard and colleagues acquired the imaging data of five patients with coronary artery disease who underwent CCTA exams. They segmented the aortic root and several major coronary arteries using computer software and then 3D printed the images. They attached the resulting patient-specific 3D-printed coronary models to a device that simulated physiological blood flow and pressure.
Subsequently, the researchers scanned the models using the same CCTA protocol they used to collect the original patient data. Upon examining the data, they found that there were minimal differences between the CCTA scans of the patients and those of the 3D-printed models in terms of the size and tortuosity of the arteries.
Overall, the 3D-printed coronary phantoms proved to be highly accurate in representing the blood flow of patients with heart disease.
"Accurate 3D printing of patient-specific coronary phantoms allows for the replication of physiological blood flow conditions and the precise evaluation of image-based diagnostic software," Shepard said.
