Utility of 3-Dimensional Models in Canine Congenital Heart Disease

Abstract: Background: Three-dimensional (3D) cardiac modeling of congenital heart disease (CHD) has shown promise in human medical applications, particularly for pre-procedural planning, simulation, and education. Utilization of 3D CHD models in veterinary medicine deserves further investigation.
Hypothesis/Objectives: This study sought to develop a protocol to generate 3D models of naturally occurring canine congenital heart disease from computed tomography scans. We hypothesized that cardiac image-based engineering software could be used to create canine-specific 3D models for pre-procedural planning and education.
Animals: Five client-owned dogs diagnosed with CHD considered amenable to transcatheter or surgical intervention.
Methods: This prospective study utilized digital datasets from five dogs with CHD that underwent computed tomography angiography. Congenital heart diseases included patent ductus arteriosus (1), pulmonary valve stenosis with ventricular septal defect (1), atrial septal defect (1), patent ductus arteriosus with persistent left cranial vena cava (1) and tetralogy of Fallot (1). Segmentation and computer-aided design of digital datasets was performed with Materialise Mimics 24.0 and Materialise 3-matic 16.0 (Materialise NV, Leuven, Belgium). A cardiovascular tool, known as CT-Heart, was used to provide high-quality segmentation of cardiac chambers and great vessels.
Results: Three-dimensional models were created in all dogs, allowing spatial conceptualization of cardiovascular structures. Three of five dogs went on to have transcatheter cardiac intervention (patent ductus arteriosus occlusion) or palliative surgery (modified Blalock-Taussig shunt). All 3D models were used for either veterinary clinical education or pre-procedural planning.
Conclusions: This study demonstrated that canine-specific 3D models of CHD can be created using cardiovascular modeling software.