Background and aim of the study: To investigate the accuracy of two methods of measuring features in cardiac anatomy, using an objective standard cast model.
Methods: We made a silicone cast using a swine heart. Computerized tomography data of the solidified cast were processed through virtual reality (VR) software and through two-dimensional multiplanar-reconstruction (2D-MPR), and all measurements were compared against physical measurements of the cast.
Results: The cast perfectly demonstrated the fine detail of the aortic valve and the proximal parts of coronary arteries. Anatomical features were measured by 3D-VR, 2D-MPR, and directly on the cast. Measurement differences between 2D-MPR and the cast were on average at least 3.6 times larger than those between 3D-VR and the cast.
Conclusions: Based on the observed accuracy, 3D-VR measurements seem considerably more accurate than the current standard 2D-MPR, and 3D-VR may be considered as the next gold standard for 3D measurement of cardiac anatomy in vivo.
Keywords: cardiac anatomy; cast angiography; measurement accuracy; three-dimensional imaging; virtual cardiac dissection.
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