Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2025
Development and Evaluation of 3D-Printed Cardiovascular Phantoms for Interventional Planning and Training
Published on: January 18, 2021
Design of a 3D printed coronary artery model for CT optimization
S D Mørup1, J Stowe2, H Precht3
1Health Sciences Research Centre, UCL University College, Niels Bohrs Alle 1, 5230, Odense M, Denmark; Cardiology Research Department, Odense University Hospital, Baagøes Alle 15, 5700, Svendborg, Denmark; Radiography & Diagnostic Imaging, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland.
Introduction:
To design a custom phantom of the coronary arteries to optimize CT coronary angiography (CCTA) protocols.
Methods:
Characteristics of the left and right coronary arteries (mean Hounsfield Unit (HU) values and diameters) were collected from consecutive CCTA examinations (n = 43). Four different materials (two mixtures of glycerine, gelatine and water, pig hearts, Ecoflex™ silicone) were scanned inside a Lungman phantom using the CCTA protocol to find the closest model to in vivo data. A 3D printed model of the coronary artery tree was created using CCTA data by exporting a CT volume rendering into Autodesk Meshmixer™ software. The model was placed in an acid bath for 5 h, then covered in Ecoflex™, which was removed after drying. Both the Ecoflex™ and pig heart were later filled with a mixture of contrast (Visipaque 320 mg I/ml), NaCl and gelatin and scanned with different levels of tube current and iterative reconstruction (ASiR-V). Objective (HU, noise and size (vessel diameter) and subjective analysis were performed on all scans.
Results:
The gelatine mixtures had HU values of 130 and 129, Ecoflex™ 65 and the pig heart 56. At the different mA/ASiR-V levels the contrast filled Ecoflex™ had a mean HU 318 ± 4, noise 47±7HU and diameter of 4.4 mm. The pig heart had a mean HU of 209 ± 5, noise 38±4HU and a diameter of 4.4 mm. With increasing iterative reconstruction level the visualisation of the pig heart arteries decreased so no measurements could be performed.
Conclusion:
The use of a 3D printed model of the arteries and casting with the Ecoflex™ silicone is the most suitable solution for a custom-designed phantom.
Implications For Practice:
Custom designed phantoms using 3D printing technology enable cost effective optimisation of CT protocols.
