Clinical Evidence / Publications / Engineering & simulation
Computational Analysis of the Electromechanical Performance of Mitral Valve Cerclage Annuloplasty Using a Patient-Specific Ventricular Model
Kyung Eun Lee et al.
Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology · 2019
Summary
Using CT-based computer models of two patients, this study simulated how mitral valve cerclage annuloplasty changes the stress on the heart muscle. Recovery after the procedure matched lower stress at the base of the heart, and the model suggested how much tightening could have helped the patient who did not recover.
Part of Tau Medical’s transcatheter mitral cerclage research, which underpins MTR Combo.
Key results
2
patient-specific heart models
6months
clinical follow-up used for comparison
Background
Why this study
Mitral cerclage annuloplasty reduces mitral regurgitation, but how it helps the heart recover, and how much to tighten for each patient, were not well understood. Computer models offer a way to study this without experiments on a living heart.
Methods
What was done
- 3D models of the ventricles were built from CT scans of two patients before and after cerclage.
- Electrical activity, heart mechanics and blood flow were simulated together with the finite element method.
- Results were compared with each patient's recovery over six months, and extra virtual tightening was tested.
Findings
What was found
- The patient whose heart recovered showed reduced stress at the base of the ventricle after cerclage.
- In the patient who did not recover, stress increased; the model showed that tighter virtual cerclage would have relieved it.
- Heart recovery appeared to depend on how stress was distributed in the ventricle.
Interpretation
What it means
Authors’ conclusion
Patient-specific simulation could serve as a virtual rehearsal to plan cerclage tightening before the procedure.
Limitations
- Only two cases
- Electrophysiology not patient-specific
- Not yet ready for clinical use
Overview
Study at a glance
- Type
- Computational study
- Model
- Patient-specific 3D electromechanics
- Procedure
- Mitral valve cerclage annuloplasty
- Data
- CT images from two patients
Summary written by Tau Medical from the published article. Results from bench, animal or computer studies may not predict outcomes in patients.
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