Three Dimensional Visualization of Right Ventricle Provides Important Information for Treatment of Patients with Tetralogy of Fallot, According to a Study in The American Journal of ...( Model Created Using Piecewise Smoo...)

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Shape and Volumetric Evaluation of Tetralogy of Fallot Patients

SEATTLE, April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Three dimensional visualization of the right ventricle provides important shape and volumetric insights that help cardiologists diagnose and treat patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), according to a paper published in the American Journal Cardiology (2008; Vol. 101, Issue 1, 107-113).

TOF is a disease that impacts the heart in multiple ways, such as creating a hole between the ventricles and developing levels of obstruction from the right ventricle to the lungs known as pulmonary stenosis. The three dimensional models created in the study provided volumetric data that was used to determine that patients with TOF had dilated right ventricles compared to individuals with normal function (end-diastolic volume index 216+/- 99 vs 81 +/- 16 ml/mm, p <0.001). The three dimensional models also provided an understanding of changes to the shape of the right ventricle that doctors can use to analyze how the heart adapts to hemodynamic overload.

Entitled "Three-Dimensional Analysis of Right Ventricular Remodeling in Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot," the paper was authored by Dr. Florence H. Sheehan, M.D. The research was a collaboration between investigators at Texas Children's Hospital, Oregon Health & Science University, University of Iowa, and University of Washington in Seattle, Wash. The study used piecewise smooth subdivision reconstruction to create three dimensional models of the hearts of 8 normal subjects and 15 patients with repaired TOF.

"Right ventricle measurement is a critical component in understanding the effectiveness of TOF repair," said Dr. Florence Sheehan, M.D., who is a professor at the University of Washington and chief scientist of VentriPoint Diagnostics Ltd. "We hope to now fully develop the novel diagnostic tools that make the process of
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