Objective: Annuloplasty rings are used to treat ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR), but their exact effects on 3-D geometry of the overall mitral valve complex during acute left ventricular (LV) ischemia remain unknown. Methods: Radiopaque markers were sutured to the mitral leaflet edges, annulus, papillary muscle tips, and ventricle in three groups of sheep. One group served as control (n 1⁄4...

Structural analysis, especially the thickness effect on the structural strength, of a bileaflet mechanical heart valve prosthesis with curved leaflets is presented in this paper. Taking the wide variations of the blood flow pressure on the leaflet surface, the structural stresses inside the leaflet and deflections of the leaflet are investigated by adopting both linear and nonlinear structural ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY The finite element method (FEM) has frequently been used to investigate the behavior of the aortic valve, but studies on the performance and behavior of free-hand autologous pericardial aortic valves reconstructed using specially designed valve molds have not been performed. The study aim was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a three-dimensional (3-D) cusp of t...

The echocardiographic findings from six patients with ruptured chordae tendineae from the posterial mitral valve leaflet and three with ruptured chordae from the anterior leaflet are reported; in all cases the diagnosis was later proven by openheart surgery. The constellation of echocardiographic findings suggesting iruptured chordae tendineae to the posterior leaflet are: (1) The appearance of...

The echocardiographic findings from six patients with ruptured chordae tendineae from the posterial mitral valve leaflet and three with ruptured chordae from the anterior leaflet are reported; in all cases the diagnosis was later proven by openheart surgery. The constellation of echocardiographic findings suggesting iruptured chordae tendineae to the posterior leaflet are: (1) The appearance of...

Advancement in imaging techniques and interventional cardiology procedures have generated renewed interest in anatomy of tricuspid valve complex. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the morphology of tricuspid valve leaflets using objective criteria. Thirty-six embalmed cadaveric hearts were utilized for the present study. Leaflet morphology was studied using newly defined crit...

A straightforward tricuspid valve repair technique is illustrated here, which may be employed either for functional (normal valve with dilated annulus) or for primary or organic (Ebstein's anomaly, leaflet retraction/tethering and chordal malposition/tethering, with annular dilatation) tricuspid valve incompetence and for moderate and severe degrees of incompetence, without any residual regurgi...

The echocardiographic findings from six patients with ruptured chordae tendineae from the posterial mitral valve leaflet and three with ruptured chordae from the anterior leaflet are reported; in all cases the diagnosis was later proven by openheart surgery. The constellation of echocardiographic findings suggesting iruptured chordae tendineae to the posterior leaflet are: (1) The appearance of...

BACKGROUND Normal mammalian mitral leaflets have regional heterogeneity of biochemical composition, collagen fiber orientation, and geometric deformation. How leaflet shape and regional geometry are affected in dilated cardiomyopathy is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Nine sheep had 8 radio-opaque markers affixed to the mitral annulus (MA), 4 markers sewn on the central meridian of the anterior ...