King’s College London. UK: A 3D printed model of a patient’s heart has been used by surgeons
to help plan how to fix the heart. Researchers at King’s College London
have pioneered a ground-breaking technique whereby a 3D printer working
from scans on the patient, creates a physical replica of a patient’s
organ.
Surgeons can then use the plastic replica to see, measure – and
hold - the organ in all its detail, and tailor the surgery before they
operate. This is particularly useful for operating on small children,
whose organs are very small.
Two-year old Mina was one of the first patients in the UK to
benefit from this new technique. From birth, her heart was so deformed
by a large hole between the two chambers, it was thought it could not be
repaired. However using an exact replica of the heart printed off in
plastic, doctors treating her at Evelina London Children’s Hospital were
able to see the exact size and position of the hole in the wall between
two of her heart chambers, and to design a patch for it.
The technique was pioneered at King’s College London by Dr Gerald
Greil, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist at Evelina Hospital who
specialises in creating high resolution 3D images of the heart using
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In Mina's case, Greil and colleagues
within the Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering at
King’s used computer software to stitch together more than 120 images of
the heart, creating a 3D image that could be viewed on a scan from any
angle. Turning this image into a replica was the next step.
Professor Reza Razavi, Head of Division of Imaging Sciences &
Biomedical Engineering at King’s College London said: 'We have been
using 3D models for research and teaching for a while but using it
clinically is a first for us.'