Six-patient study: 3D printed lung models guide embolization of all 8 arteriovenous malformations
A team led by Adam G. Fish at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center printed patient-specific models for six patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, and interventional radiologists went on to achieve technical success, meaning angiographic confirmation of complete occlusion, in all eight lesions treated.
Two hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia centers ran three cases each: four women and two men, mean age 50.3 years, ranging from 16 to 87. All five patients tested carried the ENG mutation. Four lesions were classed as complex and four as simple, based on how many feeding arteries each had.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Patients / lesions | 6 patients, 8 lesions |
| Mean age | 50.3 years (16-87) |
| Printers used | Stratasys J750, HP MJF 580 |
| Technical success | 8/8 lesions |
| Anatomic accuracy rating (center 1) | 5/5 on all 3 models |
Models were segmented from thin-slice, contrast-enhanced CT and reviewed by a board-certified radiologist before printing on a Stratasys J750 or an HP MJF 580. The two centers used them differently: the first reserved printing for cases it expected to be anatomically difficult, while the second also printed typical cases, citing easier in-house access and lower cost. In Patient 1, an earlier embolization attempt without a model had already failed; the team used the printed anatomy to heat-shape a catheter to reach the feeding artery, and the repeat procedure succeeded. The first center’s physicians rated all three of its models 5 out of 5 for anatomic accuracy, while the second center’s interventionalist called the models helpful but not strictly necessary. Five of the six models also doubled as patient-education tools.
The study was retrospective, so the authors did not track procedure time, fluoroscopy time, radiation dose, or patient satisfaction against a non-printed control group, leaving the actual procedural benefit unquantified.