MRI Simulation of Blood Flow Helps Plan Child's Heart Surgery

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, collaborating with pediatric cardiologists and surgeons at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, have developed a tool for virtual surgery that allows heart surgeons to view the predicted effects of different surgical approaches. By manipulating three-dimensional cardiac magnetic resonance images of a patient's specific anatomy, physicians can compare how alternative approaches affect blood flow and expected outcomes, and can select the best approach for each patient before entering the operating room. "This tool helps us to get the best result for each patient," said co-author Mark A. Fogel, M.D., an associate professor of cardiology and radiology, and director of Cardiac MRI at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The team can assess the different surgical options to achieve the best blood flow and the optimum mixture of blood, so we can maximize the heart's energy efficiency."