by Naritatsu Saito
Percutaneous coronary intervention for an anomalous-origin right coronary artery (RCA) can be challenging because the guide catheter support is often insufficient. We found many case reports of coronary intervention for anomalous-origin RCA published in the Journal of Invasive Cardiology.1–5 We constructed a patient-specific three-dimensional (3D) aortocoronary model and conducted an in vitro simulation to plan the intervention. The procedure was smooth and successful. Our case will provide a different insight and be very interesting for readers.
The improvements on speed, accuracy, and quality in 3D printing technology brought a revolution in the manufacturing industries. Many analysts predict that the market of 3D printing will triple in size in the next 5 years. This technology is also expected to change how we practice medicine. However, how to apply the 3D printing technology to daily clinical practice is a remaining issue. One answer to this question is making a 3D organ model to simulate a complex procedure, which we demonstrate in this month’s Journal of Invasive Cardiology. The 3D model brings more information than just analyzing the image data. Touching is believing.