OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. - An innovative new field of research holds the promise for pediatric cardiologists and heart surgeons to predict the future structural integrity of a child's heart valves so they can perform the best possible surgery today.
At the University of Oklahoma, a pediatric heart surgeon and cardiologist are collaborating with a biomedical engineer in a type of research that few in the nation are doing. By leveraging the expertise and technology of their respective fields, they are creating computational models to help them more fully understand the intricacies of individual hearts. Whereas traditional imaging techniques like echocardiogram provide a picture of the heart in motion, a computational model offers a simulated view of the shape of the valves, possible weak spots, the blood moving through the valves, and potential surgical steps to prevent future problems.
"This is truly translational medicine," said OU Health pediatric heart surgeon Harold Burkhart, M.D., who is also a professor and chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery in the OU College of Medicine.
