Why the study?
Double outlet right ventricle is a challenging congenital cardiac lesion to surgically master, prompting the use of computed tomography-guided 3D modeling/printing and novel software to delineate anatomical relationships and guide surgical approaches.
Does 3D-CT cardiac modeling and printing improve surgical planning and outcomes in patients with double outlet right ventricle?
Does 3D-CT cardiac modeling and printing improve surgical planning and outcomes in patients with double outlet right ventricle?
3D reconstruction and modeling software can facilitate preoperative planning and intraoperative decision-making for complex congenital heart lesions like DORV, associated with excellent overall survival.
3D modeling may refine DORV surgical planning; leaves open outcome benefits pending prospective validation.
BackgroundDouble outlet right ventricle (DORV) is a challenging congenital cardiac lesion to surgically master. We utilize computed tomography-guided-three-dimensional (3D) modeling/printing and novel in-house software to delineate anatomical relationships providing operative insight into the surgical approach. Our intent is to highlight this and showcase our technology.MethodsWe have created a repository of 3D heart reconstructions allowing for review of DORV patients. 3D intraoperative software anatomical manipulation and physical 3D prints were used to gain insight into DORV anatomy with the assistance of an on-site 3D Lab. The software used (Arc 3D Model Viewer) was designed in-house by our 3D Lab, tested and refined through ongoing use by our cardiothoracic surgery team. It allows for the subtraction and addition of anatomical structures and rotation in all axes. Clinicians can pan into the heart and determine specific anatomical boundaries and relationships.ResultsFrom 2010 to 2023, our program operated on 71 patients with DORV and our 3D lab has reconstructed 29 3D-hearts. Reconstructions were analyzed using Arc 3D Model Viewer. 3D reconstructions were viewed in our care conferences and intraoperatively allowing for discussion and determination of the optimal operative approach. Overall survival for DORV patients was 96% (68/71) with two mortalities in patients who did not receive 3D reconstructions.Conclusion3D reconstruction has allowed decision-making to be moved out of the operating room into the preoperative planning phase. 3D reconstruction is now standard for all DORV patients in our surgical service. We hope to demonstrate this technology with our newly developed Arc 3D Model Viewer and summarize our clinical results.
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Ganta et al. (2025) studied this question.
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