Using 3D Heart Printing for Planning to Repair a Complex Congenital Heart Disease via Minimal Invasive Thoracotomy

TL;DR

A 14-year-old girl with a rare heart condition was successfully treated using 3D heart printing to plan a minimally invasive surgery.

Contribution

This is the first reported use of 3D printing to enable a minimally invasive thoracotomy for cor triatriatum sinister correction.

Findings

3D heart printing enabled safe and precise surgical planning for a complex congenital heart defect.

Minimally invasive thoracotomy was successfully performed for cor triatriatum sinister.

Multimodal imaging improved the feasibility of the surgical approach.

Abstract

Cor triatriatum sinister is a rare congenital heart disease that can mimic left atrial obstructive lesions. Symptoms vary based on the severity of obstruction.

We report a case of a 14-year-old girl with severe exercise intolerance. Echocardiography and computed tomography scan revealed a fibromuscular membrane causing left atrial obstruction and an anomalous venous drainage with a persistent left superior vena cava to the coronary sinus. Surgical intervention is definitive, typically via sternotomy.

Given the complexity and lack of expertise in minimal invasive thoracotomy for such lesions, we used 3-dimensional (3D) heart printing for virtual surgical planning. This approach facilitated a safe and precise repair. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case using 3D printing to enable a minimally invasive thoracotomy for cor triatriatum sinister correction.

Minimally invasive approaches should not be dismissed for complex congenital heart defects. Multimodal imaging can enhance surgical feasibility.

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