Use of rapid prototyping in the care of patients with structural heart disease

Advances in surgery, interventional techniques, and critical care have allowed more than 90% of children born with structural heart defects to survive into adulthood. In addition, advances in imaging technology continue to raise awareness of hemodynamically significant intracardiac shunt lesions in both adults and children. Adult cardiologists are now faced with the daunting task of caring for patients with complex structural heart lesions, a population subset that at one time was exclusively cared for by pediatric cardiologists and congenital heart disease specialists. Given the wide range of anatomic complexity present in patients with structural heart disease, the definition and anatomic clarification of their structural abnormalities through high-quality noninvasive imaging has become paramount. Current two-dimensional imaging techniques, however, remain limited in their ability to effectively illustrate the complex three-dimensional relationships present in structural heart disease. Rapid prototyping, a process by which three-dimensional digital surface models are converted into physical models, represents the next evolution in advanced image processing and may serve as a means to improve our understanding of the many forms of structural heart disease. Ultimately, the technology may be used to enhance the level of care provided to the growing number of patients with structural heart defects. We recently reviewed the novel cardiovascular application of rapid prototyping. This review examines the expanded applications of rapid prototyping in the care and treatment of adult patients with structural heart disease.