Tetralogy of Fallot

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a congenital heart defect that involves four key anatomical abnormalities: a ventricular septal defect (VSD), pulmonary stenosis, an overriding aorta, and right ventricular hypertrophy. The VSD is a defect between the right and left ventricles, allowing deoxygenated and oxygenated blood to mix. Pulmonary stenosis refers to narrowing of the pulmonary valve or artery, restricting blood flow to the lungs for oxygenation. The overriding aorta is positioned above the VSD, allowing it to receive blood from both ventricles, including oxygen-depleted blood from the right ventricle. As a result of these defects, less oxygenated blood reaches the body, leading to cyanosis, a bluish tint of the skin due to low oxygen levels. Right ventricular hypertrophy occurs because the right ventricle works harder to pump blood. Symptoms of TOF often include cyanosis, clubbing of the fingers, difficulty feeding, and failure to thrive in infants. Surgical intervention is usually required early in life to repair the VSD, widen the pulmonary valve or artery, and reroute blood flow, improving oxygenation. Without treatment, TOF can lead to severe complications, including heart failure.

The model is composed of five .STL files corresponding to the anatomic structure of the model – aortic arch, left ventricle, rib, right arm and right ventricle. The structures are small (between 5,2 to 13,6 MB). For printing, we recommend small printer. The resin 3D printer would be good to use, too. To make it more illustrative, we recommend to print each structure by different color and put it together according the scheme of the structure.