Three‐dimensional modeling of the mitral valve for surgical planning in a pediatric patient: A case‐based discussion of the technical challenges of segmentation and printing from 3D transthoracic echocardiographic datasets

Abstract

Abnormal atrioventricular valve present great challenges to the surgeon in achieving a successful repair, and thus present a great opportunity for enhanced 3D imaging to guide pre‐ and intra‐operative management. Spatial and temporal resolution of 3D echocardiography enables 3D printing of valve morphology. However, non‐linearity, angle dependence, speckle, blur, and resampling complicate segmentation compared to computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A case of complex mitral valve disease in a pediatric patient is therefore presented to illustrate the technical challenges of segmentation and 3D printing from echocardiographic data.

Keywords: 3D printing; mitral valve; segmentation; speckle; surface model; transthoracic echocardiography; volume rendering.