To create realistic synthetic vascular models for medical device development, physician training, surgical demonstration, and procedural planning, arteries must replicate how native tissue expands and contracts as pulsatile pressures are applied. Mimicking arterial distensibility, or an artery’s ability to expand in response to an increase in blood pressure, is a key biomechanical attribute.
The J750 Digital Anatomy™ 3D printer technology gives clinicians and engineers the power to create the most lifelike anatomical models available. More than 100 clinically validated preset anatomy options— that vary in softness, flexibility, and density— mimic human tissue like never before.
In 2020, scientists and researchers at the Jacobs Institute performed the first study of its kind to evaluate the characteristics of J750 Digital Anatomy 3D printed vascular models and how accurately they replicate vessel behavior under hemodynamic pressure.
Method
3D printed models of the aorta, carotid artery, and coronary artery were created using the six preset Digital Anatomy software blood vessel material configurations that range from compliant to rigid. The wall thickness of the arteries was set to the minimum that could withstand physiological pressures.
The Results
The 3D printed arteries demonstrated accurate physiological distensibility values similar to human vessels.
