Investigation of Process Strategies for the Implementation of Cerebral Vessel by Additive Manufacturing

The development of 3D models using additive manufacturing technology has been driven by recent advances in endovascular surgery. Such models offer advantages in both medical training and the creation of custom tools for surgical intervention, as they mimic natural tissue properties and geometries. In peripheral arterial surgery, imaging modalities assist in vascular assessment, even if they lack the ability to visualize complex 3D structures. Simplified 3D models are often used because of the complexity of vasculature. They were obtained from CT images and underwent segmentation, STL file conversion, slicing, and GCode transformation for 3D printing. In this study, an elastomeric resin was used to simulate blood vessel mechanics. Samples were 3D printed according to different strategies with different orientations with respect to the printing plane, namely 0°, 45°, and 90°. The influence of the printing conditions on the accuracy of the samples was investigated, representing a crucial aspect that must be considered when realizing complex geometries, such as intracranial vessels and aneurysms. Good results were obtained in terms of deviation in the external diameter of the vessel. In contrast, the internal diameter was reduced by the oversized thickness as a consequence of the ambitious goal of printing a thickness as small as 1 mm.