3-D reconstruction of mitral annulus from 2-D transesophageal echocardiographic images

Mitral annular shape and motion has been shown to be an important part of normal left ventricular systolic function. The goal of this research was to develop a quantitative technique for evaluating annular geometry and motion in-vivo using 2-D transesophageal echocardiography. This technique was applied to the analysis of the mitral valve following surgical reconstruction and preliminary data has been obtained pre- and post-operatively on patients undergoing valvular annuloplasty with a flexible ring. The results of this analysis indicate that annular motion and non-planarity is preserved in patients undergoing annuloplasty with this flexible ring, and that annular area is reduced post-operatively.<>