Rapid prototyping: A new tool in understanding and treating structural heart disease

As the appreciation of structural heart disease in children and adults has increased and as catheter- based closure procedures are now being performed in clinical practice, cardiovascular physicians have multiple compelling new reasons to better understand cardiac anatomic and spatial relationships. Current 2- dimensional imaging techniques remain limited both in their ability to represent the complex 3- dimensional relationships present in structural heart disease and in their capacity to adequately facilitate often complex corrective procedures. This review discusses the cardiovascular applications of rapid prototyping, a new technology that may not only play a significant role in the planning of catheter- based interventions but also may serve as a valuable educational tool to enhance the medical community's understanding of the many forms of structural heart disease.