Cardiac CT for Guiding Mitral Valve Interventions

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review the current role of contrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography (CT) in the peri-procedural planning of mitral valve (MV) repair. Cardiac CT is increasingly implemented in the peri-interventional management of patients undergoing MV repair or MV replacement due to its widespread availability and its ability to provide detailed information on the complex cardiac and valvular anatomy. The complex anatomy of the MV challenges the management of minimally invasive MV repair with respect to device sizing and procedural planning. Advances in CT have enabled cardiac CT to provide critical information for the pre-procedural planning and post-procedural follow-up of MV repair. Therefore, it represents a key element in the improvement of the post-procedural outcome, the efficiency of implanted devices, and the prevention as well as advanced diagnostics of post-procedural complications. However, particular expertise is required to select adequate imaging protocols, perform comprehensive post-processing features, and to achieve specific quantitative image evaluation.