Patient Screening for Self-Expanding Percutaneous Pulmonary Valves Using Virtual Reality

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Technology
• Virtual Reality

Background:

• Self-expanding transcatheter pulmonary valves are FDA-approved for treating pulmonary regurgitation.
• Current patient selection relies on manufacturer-specific "anatomic fit" screening.
• There is a need to validate alternative screening methods for these devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate virtual reality (VR) as a tool for local physician-led screening of patients for self-expanding pulmonary valve technology.
• To compare VR-based screening with manufacturer-provided assessments.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 27 patients undergoing pulmonary valve replacement (Sept 2020 - Jan 2022).
• Collected data from manufacturer analyses and performed blinded VR simulations using Elucis VR software and Oculus Quest 2.
• Evaluated screening recommendations and agreement between modalities.

Main Results:

• Manufacturer analysis recommended self-expanding valves in 85.2% of cases; VR assessment recommended in 96.3%.
• VR showed high agreement with manufacturer screening-in (96.1% vs 100%) and superior capacity for screening-out unsuitable patients (100% vs 50%).
• 25 patients (92.6%) ultimately received implanted valves.

Conclusions:

• VR-based planning accurately predicted clinical outcomes for transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation.
• Virtual reality demonstrates potential for routine use in patient selection for self-expanding valve technologies.
• This validates VR as a reliable tool for physician-led screening.