A Low-Cost Workflow to Generate Virtual and Physical Three-Dimensional Models of Cardiac Structures

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging and 3D printing
• Congenital heart defect research
• Anatomical modeling

Background:

• Three-dimensional modeling and printing (3DMP) aids understanding of complex congenital heart defects.
• High costs and resource requirements limit widespread 3DMP adoption.
• A need exists for accessible 3DMP workflows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a cost-effective 3D modeling and printing workflow.
• To address financial, material, and personnel resource limitations of 3DMP.
• To enhance the accessibility of 3D anatomical models.

Main Methods:

• Utilized open-source software: 3D Slicer for segmentation and Blender for post-editing.
• Generated virtual and physical 3D anatomical models.
• Employed standard fused deposition modeling printers for physical models.

Main Results:

• Significantly reduced financial challenges associated with 3DMP.
• The workflow requires considerable manual segmentation time.
• Successfully created 3D models from cross-sectional imaging data.

Conclusions:

• 3DMP can improve planning and safety in congenital cardiac surgery.
• This workflow enhances the suitability of 3DMP for routine use, especially in low-resource settings.
• 3D models are valuable tools for educating parents and medical professionals.