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Use of rotational angiography in congenital cardiac catheterisations to generate three-dimensional-printed models

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2021

Michael D. Seckeler*
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Tucson, AZ, USA
Brian A. Boe
Affiliation:
The Heart Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
Brent J. Barber
Affiliation:
University of Arizona, Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Tucson, AZ, USA
Darren P. Berman
Affiliation:
The Heart Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
Aimee K. Armstrong
Affiliation:
The Heart Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Dr M. Seckeler, MD, MSc, Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), University of Arizona, 1501 N. Campbell Ave, PO Box 245073, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA. Tel: +520 626 5585; Fax: +520 626 6571. E-mail: mseckeler@peds.arizonaedu
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Abstract

Background:

Three-dimensional printing is increasingly utilised for congenital heart defect procedural planning. CT or MR datasets are typically used for printing, but similar datasets can be obtained from three-dimensional rotational angiography. We sought to assess the feasibility and accuracy of printing three-dimensional models of CHD from rotational angiography datasets.

Methods:

Retrospective review of CHD catheterisations using rotational angiography was performed, and patient and procedural details were collected. Imaging data from rotational angiography were segmented, cleaned, and printed with polylactic acid on a Dremel® 3D Idea Builder (Dremel, Mount Prospect, IL, USA). Printing time and materials’ costs were captured. CT scans of printed models were compared objectively to the original virtual models. Two independent, non-interventional paediatric cardiologists provided subjective ratings of the quality and accuracy of the printed models.

Results:

Rotational angiography data from 15 catheterisations on vascular structures were printed. Median print time was 3.83 hours, and material costs were $2.84. The CT scans of the printed models highly matched with the original digital models (root mean square for Hausdorff distance 0.013 ± 0.003 mesh units). Independent reviewers correctly described 80 and 87% of the models (p = 0.334) and reported high quality and accuracy (5 versus 5, p = NS; κ = 0.615).

Conclusion:

Imaging data from rotational angiography can be converted into accurate three-dimensional-printed models of CHD. The cost of printing the models was negligible, but the print time was prohibitive for real-time use. As the speed of three-dimensional printing technology increases, novel future applications may allow for printing patient-specific devices based on rotational angiography datasets.

Information

Type
Original Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Figure 1. Generation of a three-dimensional-printed model from three-dimensional rotational angiography data. (a) Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine data are first segmented to define the anatomy of interest (Fontan circuit in cyan, trachea in green). (b) The model is cleaned (Fontan circuit in blue, trachea in green). (c) The model is prepared for printing. (d) Final three-dimensional-printed model (Fontan circuit in blue, trachea in white).

Figure 1

Table 1. Patient demographics and cardiac diagnoses. Data are shown as n (%) or median (interquartile range)

Figure 2

Table 2. Image acquisition details and costs and times for three-dimensional model printing. Data are shown as n (%) or median (interquartile range)

Figure 3

Table 3. Summary of anatomic descriptions of underlying cardiac defects and interventions along with descriptions provided by the independent reviewers. There were two models of complex, abnormal branch pulmonary arteries that were incorrectly identified by both reviewers. Of note, the full cardiac diagnoses are provided for completeness, but the majority of the three-dimensional-printed models did not include intracardiac anatomy, so the description of this was not expected of the reviewers