Dynamic computed tomographic assessment of the mitral annulus in patients with and without mitral prolapse

To obtain 3D CT measurements of mitral annulus throughout cardiac cycle using prototype mitral modeling software, assess interobserver agreement, and compare among patients with mitral prolapse (MP) and control group.

Pre-procedural imaging is critical for planning of transcatheter mitral valve (MV) replacement. However, there is limited data regarding reliable CT-based measurements to accurately characterize the dynamic geometry of the mitral annulus in patients with MV disease.

Patients with MP and control subjects without any MV disease who underwent ECG-gated cardiac CT were retrospectively identified. Multiphasic CT data was loaded into a prototype mitral modeling software. Multiple anatomical parameters in 3D space were recorded throughout the cardiac cycle (0-95%): annular circumference, planar-surface-area (PSA), anterior-posterior (A-P) distance, and anterolateral-posteromedial (AL-PM) distance. Comparisons were made among the two groups, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Interobserver agreement was assessed on ten patients using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) among 4 experienced readers.

A total of 100 subjects were included: 50 with MP and 50 control. Annular dimensions were significantly higher in the MP group than control group, with circumference (144 ± 11 vs. 117±8 mm), PSA (1533 ± 247 vs. 1005 ± 142 mm²), A-P distance (38 ± 4 vs. 32±2 mm), and AL-PM distance (47 ± 4 vs. 39±3 mm) (all p < 0.001). Substantial size changes were observed throughout the cardiac cycle, but with maximal and minimal sizes at different cardiac phases for the two groups. The interobserver agreement was excellent (ICC≥0.75) for annular circumference, PSA, A-P- and AL-PM distance.

A significant variation in the mitral annular measures between different cardiac phases and two groups was observed with excellent interobserver agreement.