title: High-resolution reconstruction of a waxed heart specimen with flat panel volume computed tomography and rapid prototyping.
abstract: A waxed piglet heart was scanned with a flat panel volume computed tomography scanner (voxel size, 0.25 mm). Virtual and real laser-sintered models showed excellent visual concordance with the original. Using an iterative-closest-point algorithm, a very low mean surface distance was found between the original and laser-sintered model (0.26 +/- 0.34 mm). These techniques allow submillimeter 3-dimensional virtual and real reconstructions without destroying the original and might be useful for teaching, research, and planning of cardiac interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, University of Tuebingen, Germany. gerald.greil@med.uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: Gerald F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Greil
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuettner
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Flohr
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grasruck
authors.forename: Ludger
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sieverding
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Meinzer
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D013552:Swine; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*