Summary

A 3D model of a carotid artery at the level of the bifurcation, created from a magnetic resonance (MRI) angiography scan.

Instructions

This was printed in MakerBot software with the following:

Rotate it to vertical (like a tree, and as in photo)
Add a helper disk (for stabilization, but also as a base for later.

Printed on Replicator2
with "High Resolution" (i.e., Skeinforge)
100 % infill
4 shells
0.3 Layer Height

Did not use raft or supports (though the overhang was rough as can be seen in the photographs).

This thing was created based on an MRI scan from which the "bright blood" angiography (picture of blood vessels) was segmented using ImageJ software. Once the section of image including the carotid artery at the level of its bifurcation was segmented, the file was exported to MATLAB software in order to create the isosurface and save as an STL (stlwrite).

The anonymous imaging data was acquired and used with informed consent and permission.

Carotid Artery from MRI