Surgical repair of the mitral valve results in better
outcomes than valve replacement, yet diseased valves
are often replaced due to the technical difficulty of the
repair process. A surgical planning system based on
patient-specific medical images that allows surgeons to
simulate and compare potential repair strategies could
greatly improve surgical outcomes. The system must
simulate valve closure quickly and handle the complex
boundary conditions imposed by the chords that tether
the valve leaflets. We have developed a process for
generating a triangulated mesh of the valve surface
from volumetric image data of the opened valve. The
closed position of the mesh is then computed using a
mass-spring model of dynamics. In the mass-spring
model, triangle sides are treated as linear springs
supporting only tension. Chords are also treated as
linear springs, and self-collisions are detected and
handled inelastically. The equations of motion are
solved using implicit numerical integration. The
simulated closed state is compared with an image of the
same valve taken in the closed state to assess accuracy
of the model. The model exhibits rapid valve closure
and is able to predict the closed state of the valve with
reasonable accuracy.Engineering and Applied Science