Percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion has emerged as an alternative therapeutic approach to medical therapy for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. 3D printing is a novel technology able to create a patient specific model of any given anatomical portion of the heart.

Herein the Authors report the first two cases of LAA occlusion procedure with two different systems, the Wave Crest device and the Amplatzer Amulet, in which a 3D printed LAA model was used in a rehearse phase.

These two cases demonstrated that 3D model could help in finding the correct position within LAA, sizing the device and guiding the choice of the closure device despite the measurements provided by angiography and TEE.

Reference

Pellegrino PL, Fassini G, DI Biase M, Tondo C. Left Atrial Appendage Closure Guided by 3D Printed Cardiac Reconstruction: Emerging Directions and Future Trends. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2016 Feb 25. doi: 10.1111/jce.12960. [Epub ahead of print] Go to PubMed abstract