Three-Dimensional Quantitation of Mitral Valve Coaptation by a Novel Software System with Transthoracic Real-Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

Tsukiji, Miwako; Watanabe, Nozomi; Yamaura, Yasuko; Okahashi, Noriko; Obase, Kikuko; Neishi, Yoji; Toyota, Eiji; Kawamoto, Takahiro; Okura, Hiroyuki; Ogasawara, Yasuo; Yoshida, Kiyoshi

doi:10.1016/j.echo.2007.05.023

« Previous Next »Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Volume 21, Issue 1 , Pages 43-46, January 2008

Three-Dimensional Quantitation of Mitral Valve Coaptation by a Novel Software System with Transthoracic Real-Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

Miwako Tsukiji, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
- Reprint requests: Miwako Tsukiji, MD, Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, 701-0192, Japan.
Nozomi Watanabe, MD, FACC
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
Yasuko Yamaura, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
Noriko Okahashi, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
Kikuko Obase, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
Yoji Neishi, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
Eiji Toyota, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
Takahiro Kawamoto, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
Hiroyuki Okura, MD
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
Yasuo Ogasawara, PhD
- Department of Medical Engineering and Systems of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan.
Kiyoshi Yoshida, MD, FACC
- Department of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan

published online 12 July 2007.

We investigated the degree of mitral valve coaptation with a custom quantitation software system using transthoracic three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography. With real-time 3D echocardiography, we obtained transthoracic volumetric images in 20 healthy subjects and 20 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. With our novel software system, the surface area of mitral valve tenting in the onset of mitral leaflet closure [O] and the timing of maximum closure of mitral leaflet [M] were reconstructed for quantitative measurement. The coaptation index was calculated by the following formula: [(3D tenting surface area in O-3D tenting surface area in M)/3D tenting surface area in O]. The coaptation index in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy was significantly smaller than that in healthy subjects (11% ± 4.1% vs. 18% ± 8.0%, P = .004). The custom quantitation software system with 3D echocardiography allowed us to assess the degree of mitral valve coaptation.