Rapid prototyping: a new tool in understanding and treating structural heart disease.
As the appreciation of structural heart disease in children and adults has increased and as catheter-based closure procedures are now being performed in clinical practice, cardiovascular physicians have multiple compelling new reasons to better understand cardiac anatomic and spatial relationships. Current 2-dimensional imaging techniques remain limited both in their ability to represent the complex 3-dimensional relationships present in structural heart disease and in their capacity to adequately facilitate often complex corrective procedures. This review discusses the cardiovascular applications of rapid prototyping, a new technology that may not only play a significant role in the planning of catheter-based interventions but also may serve as a valuable educational tool to enhance the medical community's understanding of the many forms of structural heart disease.
Kim
Michael S
MS
University of Colorado at Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
Hansgen
Adam R
AR
Wink
Onno
O
Quaife
Robert A
RA
Carroll
John D
JD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D032882:Comprehension; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006343:Heart Septal Defects / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome