Bernice Belcher needed an artificial aortic valve replacement. Her surgeons decided to use a new 3D modeling technique.
Using CT scans that are manipulated via special software, a team of engineers creates a model fashioned from flexible materials that re-create the texture of the aorta and its surrounding structures. Then the model is loaded into a heart simulator: a box filled with pumps and bloodlike fluid.
The engineers watch as simulated blood flows through the printed heart, and they monitor blood flow, pressure and other effects using lasers and high-speed cameras. Next, they insert the replacement valves and see what changes. Computer models predict how blood flow would respond to each patient’s unique anatomy. The process helps doctors decide how to approach the surgery and which valve to use.
Such technology can also be used to create personalized implants such as vertebrae, or to fabricate just-right tools for use in the operating room. It can also save time and reduce the amount of radiation exposure during an operation.
Studies show that surgeries that were preplanned with a model were done much more quickly, and they used less radiation.
