Patient-specific Mitral Valve Modelling: From TEE to Beating-heart Simulator

Patrick Carnahan1, John Moore1, Gianluigi Bisleri2, Terry Peters3, Elvis Chen3
1Western University, 2University of Toronto, 3Robarts Research Institute/Western University


Abstract

Aims: This work proposes a framework to fabricate a physical, patient-specific, mitral valve replica from patient TEE for the purpose of evaluating multiple surgical repair strategies using a pulse duplicator. Methods: We developed an acquisition protocol to acquire multiple (>4) transgastric 3D TEE of the mitral valve in addition to the standard mid-esophageal view, along with a registration algorithm to combine 3D TEE volumes into a single volume, providing a complete visualization of the left-side of the heart. The mitral valve, and its subvalvular apparatus, were segmented from the combined TEE volume using a deep-learning algorithm. The resulting segmentation was used to fabricate a physical, patient-specific, replica of the valve using a combination of computer-aided design, 3D printing, and silicone application. Mechanical properties of the valve were approximated in the manufacturing process, allowing valve repair approaches (such as suturing of an annulus ring) to be performed on the artificial valve. Results: The manufactured patient-specific valve can be used in a commercial pulse duplicator to replicate the 3D TEE from which it was modelled. Anatomical measurements derived from TEE acquired from the corresponding patient and the pulse duplicator, such as AP diameter, annular 3D circumference and annular ellipticity, are in high agreement. Because multiple and identical patient-specific valves can be manufactured, different surgical approaches can be applied, and their efficacy be evaluated using the pulse duplicator. We have acquired 3D TEE from more than 100 patients and are in the process of evaluating whether the artificial valve can reproduce TEE images of real patients postoperatively when identical repairs are performed. Conclusion: Multiple 3D TEE volumes with mid-esophageal and transgastric views can be acquired as part of a standard diagnostic imaging session. When used with a pulse duplicator, patient-specific modelling has the potential to evaluate efficacy of different mitral valve repair approaches.