Advanced Techniques in Cardiac Visualization from Gross Dissection to Virtual Reconstruction

After turning on a stereo microscope, perform delicate dissections on paraformaldehyde-fixed human heart tissue, focusing on structures such as the atrioventricular node, atrioventricular node artery, and cardiac nerve plexus. Place the heart sample on the scanner bed to acquire a CT image of the heart specimen. Using a 20 to 24 French surgical cannula, cannulate the superior vena cava for right heart perfusion.

Then, occlude the inferior vena cava and another pulmonary artery with twine. Next, perform a progressive dissection of the heart tissue with photographic recordings at each stage of dissection. Using multiple light-emitting diode light panels set on C-stands with a wide black duvet and background cloth, photograph the heart with a digital single-lens reflex camera.

Suspend the heart sample on a rotation table to obtain hundreds of multi-directional photographs with a smartphone. On Scaniverse and Polycam software, generate the 3D model of the heart in FBX format. Suspend the heart sample from a bar across the top of the container.

Use a multi-detector row CT scanner to conduct CT scans of the heart. After generating virtual dissection images of the heart, visualize the non-enhanced walls, septa, and valves with virtual dissection to produce images similar to gross dissection.