Dear Editor,
We are interested in the recently published review article entitled ‘Application of three-dimensional printing in cardiovascular diseases: a bibliometric analysis’ in the International Journal of Surgery 1. We appreciate and congratulate the novel research work conducted by Xin Zhang and team.
The articles were selected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. In the review article, a total of 467 papers on three-dimensional (3D) printing in cardiovascular diseases were identified. The authors aimed to explore the application of 3D printing in cardiovascular diseases to gain insight into this field and prospect the future trend.
3D printing technology is a technology based on digital model files, using adhesive materials, and constructing objects by printing layer by layer. It has attracted wide attention because it can promote the individualized and precise development of surgery. 3D printing is not only used in congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, and left atrial appendage closure technology but also widely used in complex aortic diseases. Aortic aneurysm or aortic dissection is a common and dangerous disease in cardiovascular surgery, and endoscopic surgery is the main treatment. However, the failure of branch artery reconstruction leads to branch blood supply disorder, postoperative leakage, and other complications, which are technical problems in this kind of surgical method. To solve these problems, 3D printing technology has been gradually applied in branch reconstruction surgery. Pu et al.2 reported that 3D printing technology was applied to the reconstruction of complex aortic disease, and Wang et al.3 reported that 3D printing technology was applied to endovascular treatment in abdominal aortic aneurysms.
However, with the deepening of the application of 3D printing technology, the accuracy of 3D models has also attracted attention. Wang et al.4 reported that the error of the 3D printing model can lead to improper treatment options. Therefore, the accuracy and accuracy of the 3D-printed model should pay enough attention. For example, the accuracy analysis of 3D printers, the error in the 3D printing process, the accuracy of measurement methods, the storage and post-processing of 3D models, and the comparison between 3D models and solid anatomy all need to be paid enough attention. Personalized 3D model in the treatment of complex cardiovascular system disease has an important role and wide application prospect but not yet formed a 3D printing cardiovascular model complete process guidelines and 3D model accuracy evaluation unified standard. 3D printing in the medical field, especially its application and popularization in the cardiovascular system still need deeper research and needs to include medical imaging, material engineering, and computer technology, such as multidisciplinary common development.
In addition, as the authors mentioned, medical education therapy, 3D bioprinting, and surgical training are the focus and are at the forefront of future 3D printing research. In fact, 3D-printed aortic dissection models have been applied to teaching vascular surgery residents. Traditionally, aortic CT angiography (computed tomographic angiography, CTA) is the most important teaching material for aortic dissection, but limited by two-dimensional images, residents often need strong spatial imagination and three-dimensional construction ability to initially understand the knowledge of aortic dissection. 3D printing can quickly construct the solid model of aortic dissection, allowing doctors to directly conduct anatomical teaching, mechanism interpretation, and surgical simulation on the solid model. Combined with problem-based learning (problem-based learning, PBL), doctors can provide a more vivid and specific teaching means of aortic dissection5. The three-dimensional printed aortic dissection model provides a real and visual auxiliary tool for PBL teaching, which can help students understand and understand the anatomical basis and pathophysiological connection of aortic dissection, reduce the difficulty of the course, and is conducive to cultivating students’ clinical thinking ability.
Ethical approval
Our submitted manuscript does not involve any patients without the ethical approval document.
Consent
Not applicable.
Sources of funding
No funding was received.
Author contribution
Y.S. participated in the original idea, writing the first draft, and editing the final manuscript. The author also approved the last version of this manuscript.
Conflicts of interest disclosure
There are no conflicts of interest.
Research registration unique identifying number (UIN)
Not applicable.
Guarantor
Yanyan Song, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University; Address: No. 804 Shengli South Street, Xingqing District, Yinchuan 750004, People’s Republic of China; Tel: +86 0951 6743014; fax: +86 0951 6744302, e-mail: nxfysyy@163.com.
Data availability statement
The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Provenance and peer review
Commentary, internally reviewed.
Acknowledgements
Assistance with the study: none.
Footnotes
Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article.
Published online 25 March 2024
References
- 1. Zhang X, Yi K, Xu J-G, et al. Application of three-dimensional printing in cardiovascular diseases: a bibliometric analysis. Int J Surg 2024;110:1068–1078. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2. Pu HJ, Qiu P, Huang Q, et al. Role of 3 D printing technology in the reconstruction of transluminal surgical branches in complex aortic disease. Shanghai Medical 2023;46:633–637. [Google Scholar]
- 3. Wang X, Cai ZY, Yu HT, et al. The 3D printing technology assisted in the endoscopic treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm in one case. New Medicine 2020;51:966–970. [Google Scholar]
- 4. Wang YJ, Zhou Q, Guo RQ. Application and accuracy of 3D printing technology based on medical imaging in cardiovascular system. Chin J Interv Imaging Ther 2018;15:566–569. [Google Scholar]
- 5. Li WH, Jiao Y, Li W, et al. Application of 3 D printed aortic dissection model with PBL in teaching vascular surgery. Higher Medical Education in China 2022;10:42–43. [Google Scholar]
Associated Data
This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.
Data Availability Statement
The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.