Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Apr 2015
Three-dimensional printing of intracardiac defects from three-dimensional echocardiographic images: feasibility and relative accuracy.
With the advent of three-dimensional (3D) printers and high-resolution cardiac imaging, rapid prototype constructions of congenital cardiac defects are now possible. Typically, source images for these models derive from higher resolution, cross-sectional cardiac imaging, such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. These imaging methods may involve intravenous contrast, sedation, and ionizing radiation. New echocardiographic transducers and advanced software and hardware have optimized 3D echocardiographic images for this purpose. Thus, the objectives of this study were to confirm the feasibility of creating cardiac models from 3D echocardiographic data and to assess accuracy by comparing 3D model measurements with conventional two-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic measurements of cardiac defects. ⋯ Three-dimensional printed models of echocardiographic data are technically feasible and may accurately reflect ventricular septal defect anatomy. Three-dimensional models derived from 3D echocardiographic data sets represent a new tool in procedural planning for children with congenital heart disease.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Apr 2015
Impact of device landing zone calcification on paravalvular regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic study.
Determinants of paravalvular regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of aortic valve calcification (AVC) on paravalvular regurgitation after TAVR using real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. ⋯ Assessment of AVC by real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography is feasible and has good discriminatory value for paravalvular regurgitation in patients who undergo TAVR. Significant paravalvular regurgitation after TAVR is associated with the location and size of calcification at the aortic annulus and left ventricular outflow tract, not with its severity.