Feasibility of a novel approach for 3D mitral valve quantification from magnetic resonance images

The quantitative evaluation of the morphology of the mitral annulus (MA) could have a great impact in both diagnosis and surgical treatment of mitral valve diseases. In this study we aimed at creating a framework for the 3D reconstruction of the MA from CMR cine images. The developed tool allowed the measurement of several geometric parameters relevant to the MA and the papillary muscles in the 3D space. To test for the repeatability of the measured parameters, CMR datasets obtained from 12 patients with myocardial infarction were acquired, and processed by two operators separately. Results showed high reproducibility in all the measured parameters. The proposed approach could constitute the basis for a reliable assessment of the MA morphology through CMR imaging.