Utility of 3D printed cardiac models in congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) encompasses a heterogenous group of lesions whereby the anatomic structures and relationships of the heart have not undergone a normal development. CHD is the most common congenital malformation in newborns, occurring in about 1% of live births. Over the last 5 decades improvements in surgical and interventional catheterization techniques have resulted in an average life expectancy well into adulthood. Three-dimensional (3D) modelling is capable of producing a physical 3D model from a digital clinical imaging data set. 3D printed cardiac models may be especially useful for the study and treatment of CHD as they can convey patient-specific information in 3D space. This research provides insights on the scope of use of patient specific 3D printed cardiac models used in the care of patients with CHD with respect to the available current body of literature and in clinical practice. This thesis investigates 1) reported uses of 3D printed CHD models in the literature; 2) access to and use of 3D printing technology for CHD in clinical practice; 3) applications of 3D printed CHD models for interventional cardiac procedural planning and 4) applications for undergraduate medical education.Medicine, Faculty ofExperimental Medicine, Division ofMedicine, Department ofGraduat