3D Heart Models from MRI Heart Scans

System Can Convert MRI Heart Scans into 3D-Printed, Physical Models in a Few Hours

Larry Hardesty | September 17, 2015

Researchers at MIT and Boston Children's Hospital have developed a system that can take MRI scans of a patient's heart and, in a matter of hours, convert them into a tangible, physical model that surgeons can use to plan surgery.

Printed in a matter of hours, personalized heart models could help surgeons plan their operations. Source: https://www.csail.mit.edu/3D_printed_heart_models

The models could provide a more intuitive way for surgeons to assess and prepare for the anatomical idiosyncrasies of individual patients. "Our collaborators are convinced that this will make a difference," says Polina Golland, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, who led the project. 

<more at http://phys.org/news/2015-09-mri-heart-scans-3d-printed-physical.html; related link: http://3dprint.com/96354/mit-boston-hospital-models/ (MIT & Boston Children’s Hospital Conducting Study to See if 3D Printed Heart Models Offer Improvement in Surgical Outcome. September 17, 2015) and https://www.csail.mit.edu/3D_printed_heart_models (3D-Printed Hearts? System Converts MRI Scans into Physical Models. September 17, 2015)>