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Updated: Sep 25, 2025
Development and Evaluation of 3D-Printed Cardiovascular Phantoms for Interventional Planning and Training
Published on: January 18, 2021
Effect of 3D-printed hearts used in left ventricular outflow tract obstruction: a multicenter study
Xianzhi Wang1, Jixiang Liang2, Cunfu Mu1
1Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Guangyuan, Guangyuan, 628000, Sichuan, China.
Insights
Using 3D-printed heart models for preoperative simulation in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction surgery significantly reduced operation time, blood loss, and improved patient recovery compared to standard procedures.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Medical Imaging
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction presents complex surgical challenges.
- Accurate preoperative planning is crucial for successful LVOT obstruction surgery.
- Traditional surgical approaches may have limitations in addressing intricate anatomical variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical application value of three-dimensional (3D)-printed heart models in surgical treatment of LVOT obstruction.
- To compare surgical outcomes between patients undergoing simulated surgery with 3D models and those without.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 46 patients with LVOT obstruction were divided into an experimental group (22 patients) and a control group (24 patients).
- The experimental group underwent simulated preoperative surgery using patient-specific 3D-printed heart models before the Morrow operation.
- The control group underwent the Morrow operation without preoperative simulation using 3D models.
Main Results:
- The experimental group demonstrated significantly lower operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, intraoperative blood loss, and hospitalization duration.
- Key metrics such as LVOT pressure difference (LVP), interventricular septal thickness (IST), and left ventricular flow velocity (LVFV) were significantly improved in the 3D-printed model group.
- A larger inner diameter of the left ventricular outflow tract (IDLV) was observed in the experimental group, with no significant differences in ejection fraction or complication rates.
Conclusions:
- Preoperative simulation using 3D-printed heart models facilitates more rational surgical planning for LVOT obstruction.
- This approach is associated with reduced surgical trauma and duration, promoting better cardiac recovery and maintenance.
- 3D-printed models represent a valuable tool for enhancing surgical precision and patient outcomes in complex cardiac procedures.
Objective:
The purpose of this research was to explore the application value of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed heart in surgery for left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction.
Methods:
From August 2019 to October 2021, 46 patients with LVOT obstruction underwent surgical treatment at our institution. According to the treatment method, 22 and 24 patients were allocated to the experimental and control groups, respectively. In the experimental group, each patient's 3D-printed heart model was used for simulated preoperative surgery, and then the Morrow operation was performed. In the control group, only the Morrow operation was performed, without simulated preoperative surgery using a 3D-printed heart model. The intraoperative and postoperative data of patients in the two groups were recorded, and the clinical data of patients were compared between the two groups.
Results:
The operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization time, LVOT pressure difference (LVP), postoperative interventricular septal thickness (IST), aortic regurgitation (AR), systolic anterior motion (SAM), and postoperative left ventricular flow velocity (LVFV) were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The inner diameter of the left ventricular outflow tract (IDLV) was larger in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the postoperative ejection fraction, atrioventricular block rate or complication rate between the two groups (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
A 3D-printed heart model for simulated surgery in vitro is conducive to formulating a more reasonable surgical plan and reducing the trauma and duration of surgery, thereby promoting the recovery and maintenance of the heart.
