Heart model helps 16-year-old heart tumour patient

11th December 2017

Materialise

Enaie Azambuja

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Datasheet

It’s devastating news when you find out that your grandchild was born with a heart tumour. This was the news that Christine White heard when her grandson, Bradley, was only three. Over the next several years, Bradley had to undergo several open heart surgeries including having a defibrillator implanted to protect him from sudden cardiac death.

At the age of sixteen, Bradley found himself back at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for yet another procedure to stop the electrical interference caused by the large cardiac tumour.

Looking for additional information on how to best treat Bradley’s tumour, the team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital contacted Materialise to create a 3D-printed replica of Bradley’s heart using the Mimics Innovation Suite software from his CT scan data.

This 3D-printed model allowed the physicians to better understand the complex relationship of the tumour, printed in a hard opaque material, and surrounding anatomical structures printed in a flexible transparent material. Having the model enabled the team to confidently proceed with an electrophysiology study and catheter ablation over a risky surgical resection of the tumour.

The model also allowed Bradley and his family to better understand his unique anatomy. “I always thought my tumour was the size of a quarter and didn’t realise how large it was until I saw the [Materialise] model. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen by far. I’m looking forward to showing my friends.” Bradley, now 16 years old, is making the most of his condition and continues to be active in sports, with friends and in his church.

Materialise offers software and services to 3D print patient-specific anatomical models. In addition, the company offers a library of standard, ready to go HeartPrint® Research models in various sizes and materials, from rigid to flexible.

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