Track: Graduate Student Paper Competition

Abstract

The application of digital technologies such as 3D modeling, 3D printing, and virtual surgery implemented in the medical field makes it possible to improve the representation of the patient's anatomy and to analyze the clinical case in more detail than the two-dimensional visualization of images from CT, MRI, and ultrasound. In particular, the use of technologies such as 3D printing in cardiac surgery is useful for studying patient-specific cardiac anatomy and manipulating the object of study preoperatively. The integration of a preoperative planning methodology integrated with new advanced tools facilitates the cardiac surgeon in developing a more informed and precise surgical strategy. Indeed, new technologies allow surgery to be designed and planned in a virtual environment before it is performed in the operating room.

This study reports the application of advanced technologies for aortic arch reconstruction in a virtual and physical environment as a tool for the analysis of cardiac pathologies, e.g., aortic dissection. The process involves the use of software that can convert the patient's medical information into a three-dimensional digital model that can be imported into a virtual environment and then 3D printed.

Keywords
3D Modelling, 3D Printing, Virtual Surgical Simulation, Cardiovascular Surgery, Aortic arch..