Your Source of Innovation in the Medical Field
3D PrintingTechnologies

The First 3D Heart Printed with Multiple Imaging Techniques

The First 3D Heart Printed with Multiple Imaging Techniques
(Credit: Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)

Researchers from the Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital have integrated two imaging techniques to produce a three-dimensional anatomic model of a patient’s heart that is more detailed and more anatomically accurate.

According to the hospital, the 3D model printing of patients’ hearts has become more common in recent years. But this is the first time the integration of two imaging modalities—computed tomography (CT) and three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE)—has successfully been used for printing a 3D model of a patient’s heart.

This new technology can potentially enhance diagnosis as well as interventional and surgical planning and help treat heart disease. It also opens the way for these techniques to be used in combination with a third tool—magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement