Three-dimensional modeling of the mitral valve for surgical planning in a pediatric patient: A case-based discussion of the technical challenges of segmentation and printing from 3D transthoracic echocardiographic datasets

Abnormal atrioventricular valve present great challenges to the surgeon in achieving a successful repair, and thus present a great opportunity for enhanced 3D imaging to guide pre- and intra-operative management. Spatial and temporal resolution of 3D echocardiography enables 3D printing of valve morphology. However, non-linearity, angle dependence, speckle, blur, and resampling complicate segmentation compared to computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A case of complex mitral valve disease in a pediatric patient is therefore presented to illustrate the technical challenges of segmentation and 3D printing from echocardiographic data.