For training physicians in endovascular techniques such as mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke, synthetic in-vitro models may replace animal models. A neurointerventional training model was developed in previous works using additive manufacturing (AM) for the reproduction of patient specific anatomy. Different patient anatomies, such as curvatures, can complicate the pathway of treatment. For this reason, realistic training requires a simulation of the entire access path from the femoral artery to the affected vessel in the brain, which includes the simulation of the aorta. The training model currently uses a commercially available silicone aorta, which has several disadvantages, including high cost and unrealistic surface friction. Furthermore, the aortic model is not modular and therefore does not allow changes in configuration of the aortic arch, which is a strong factor influencing procedural difficulty and therefore an important variable for training. In this study, a modular aortic model is designed and manufactured according to the requirements for training endovascular stroke treatment. AM offers many advantages in the production of anatomical models. Therefore, different manufacturing alternatives are tested based on a modular concept, using both direct and indirect manufacturing. Criteria for an evaluation of the production processes and the resulting models are defined and the test set-up is described. In this study, the procedures are first evaluated under cost and time aspect and a first assessment of the qualitative criteria is given.
