Affiliations: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA | Department of Radiology, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA | Currently at: Department of Neurosurgery, Fukuoka University, Chikushi Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan | Currently at: Cordis Neurovascular, Johnson & Johnson, Miami Lakes, FL, USA | Currently at: Bolton Medical Inc., Sunrise, FL, USA | Currently at: Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroimaging and Intervention, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Baruch B. Lieber, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, 1251 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. Tel.: +1 305 284 2330; Fax: +1 305 284 6494; E-mail: blieber@miami.edu.
Abstract: In this work, we describe a methodology to fabricate transparent elastomeric vascular replicas using rapid prototyping techniques. First, the three-dimensional morphology of an elastase-induced aneurysm model in rabbit is acquired. The morphology is reconstructed from in vivo rotational angiography and it is compared with three-dimensional reconstructions obtained by computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of an intraluminal arterial cast that was obtained from the same animal at sacrifice. Results show that resolution of the imaging modality strongly influences the level of detail, such as small side branches, in the final reconstruction. We developed an average morphology model for elastase-induced aneurysms in rabbits including the surrounding vasculature and describe a method for rapid prototyping of vascular models from the three-dimensional morphology. Our replicas can be manufactured in a short period of time and the final product is optically clear. In addition, the elasticity of the models can be controlled to represent arterial elasticity, which makes them ideal for optical investigations of detailed flow dynamics using measurement tools such as particle image velocimetry.
