US Patent 10319259 Anatomical simulators produced using 3d printing

Disclosed herein are anatomical simulators produced using three dimensional (3D) printing to produce interior components of the simulator. The method of producing void structures in an anatomical phantom, includes 3D printing one or more structures of one or more desired sub-anatomical features using a dissolvable material; supporting and enclosing the one or more structures in an interior of a mold of the anatomical phantom; filling a remaining internal volume in the interior of the mold between an outer surface of the one or more structures and an inner surface of the mold with a liquid precursor of a matrix material selected to mimic anatomical tissue and processing the liquid precursor to form a tissue mimic matrix material; and dissolving the one or more structures with a fluid selected to dissolve said dissolvable material to produce one or more internal cavities within the tissue mimic matrix material.