Research Appraisals
Evidence-based critical appraisals of the latest medical research, systematically evaluated using Oxford CEBM methodology.
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Open heart
Impact of three-dimensional heart models on surgical planning and outcomes in congenital heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease surgery includes intricate structures that are perhaps hard to completely understand by traditional two-dimensional shapes. Individualised, centre-based three-dimensional (3D) heart models may enhance structural imaging and surgical preparation, while data on their medical effect continue to be unpredictable and uneven. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the impact of 3D heart simulations on surgical preparation and outcomes in congenital cardiac disease. OBJECTIVE: To assess the successful outcomes of patient-centred 3D cardiac simulations in medical preparation, intraoperative execution and surgical results in patients experiencing operation for congenital cardiac disease. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of patient-specific 3D heart models on surgical planning precision and preoperative outcomes in congenital heart disease surgery. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 standards and prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024211985). PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched through March 2025 for comparative studies evaluating 3D-printed or virtual heart models versus conventional imaging. Outcomes were harmonised and pooled as risk ratios (RRs), mean differences (MDs) or standardised MDs (SMDs) with 95% CIs using random-effects models. RESULTS: 32 studies (n=1842) met inclusion criteria. The use of 3D models was associated with more frequent surgical plan modification (RR 1.42; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.67), reduced operative time (MD -18.4 min; 95% CI -27.6 to -9.2), lower postoperative complications (RR 0.74; 95% CI 0.56 to 0.98) and reduced re-operation (RR 0.52; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.86). Hospital stay was shortened (MD: 1.8 days; 95% CI -3.0 to -0.6), and surgeon confidence improved (SMD 0.88; 95% CI 0.60 to 1.15). The confidence of indication extended from modest to small because of non-experimental research and variability. CONCLUSION: Individualised-centred 3D heart stimulation improves structural imaging and medical preparation in congenital cardiac disease, chiefly for intricate lacerations and can increase preoperative competence, while statistics for conclusive diagnosis results continue to be restricted and mainly experiential. Upcoming potential, large-scale investigator-led research with consistent result events are required to ratify their medical success.
26 May 2026
Read appraisal →Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie
Automatic measurement and evaluation of anterior segment anatomical structures via UBM images using a deep learning-based approach
PURPOSE: To develop a deep-learning model capable of measuring essential anterior segment (AS) parameters derived from preoperative ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) images of candidates for implantable collamer lens (ICL) surgery. SETTING: Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, China. DESIGN: Cross-sectional retrospective study. METHODS: A dataset comprising 1,480 preoperative panoramic UBM images taken from 638 eyes of 320 subjects was collected and was divided into training and testing subsets at a proportion of 7:3. Using the YOLOv8-pose algorithm, the model identified ten anatomical key point coordinates and computed six relevant AS parameters. Both manual and anterior segment optical coherence tomography-based non-contact measurements served as reference standards for evaluating the model's accuracy. The relationship between postoperative vault and preoperative parameters measured by the model was analyzed using multiple linear regression. RESULTS: On the test dataset, the model achieved an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) exceeding 0.978, with a mean Euclidean distance of 67.65 ± 54.25 μm across all point locations. The ICC values for anterior chamber depth (ACD), pupil diameter, and sulcus-to-sulcus distance were above 0.980 (95% CI: 0.975 to 0.985), with average relative error below 1.7%. Additionally, postoperative vault at one month was significantly correlated with model-measured parameters, including crystalline lens rise, iris concavity, and ACD (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study introduces a robust program capable of quantitatively measuring AS parameters with accuracy comparable to that of experienced ophthalmologists. The findings provide valuable guidance for ICL sizing and vault prediction.
5 May 2026
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