Echo 3d printing
A recent wealth of studies have explored the use of 3D printing technologies to create physical representations of biomedical imaging datasets. These studies have demonstrated how patient-specific 3D models can improve the understanding of complex anatomical spatial orientations, facilitate doctor-patient communication, and improve presurgical planning. In this study, we demonstrate a technique to generate 3D prints from 3D echo data sets. The technique has widespread applicability given its minimal cost and efficient nature. In addition, our technique allows for the 3D printing of cardiovascular structures obtained from 3D echocardiography, structures that have previously been very challenging to print using other existing techniques. We have created an open source web application to convert proprietary 3D echo DICOM data sets into NRRD volumetric file types.
The web application can be accessed here as well as the code. The manuscript can be downloaded here.