Myxomatous Mitral Valve Degeneration

This study aims to develop and validate a fully automated imaging and modeling pipeline for the analysis of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) using real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (RT3DE). The primary goal is to automatically segment mitral valve (MV) substructures, extract anatomical landmarks, and generate 3D models of the MV apparatus to characterize morphological and functional features of degenerative MVP. Advanced deep learning techniques and geometric processing tools will be applied to enable automated analysis. A secondary objective is to build patient-specific finite element (FE) models based on RT3DE data to evaluate the biomechanical consequences of MVP and to simulate the effects of surgical repair. These simulations will assess stress distribution and force transmission within the MV apparatus. Additionally, in cases where substantial surgical resection of MV tissue occurs, excised leaflet samples will be collected and preserved for histological and morphometric analysis.