About the project
In conventional aortic valve (AK) surgery, valve-preserving operations (OPs) to treat severe AK insufficiencies are currently only performed by highly experienced cardiac surgeons. Intraoperative quality control of the surgical result has so far been performed exclusively with the aid of manual instruments. These intraoperative inspection methods are inaccurate and can therefore lead to incorrect decisions. This in turn results in unnecessarily high mortality and morbidity rates in these surgical procedures. In aortic valve replacement procedures, there is also an increased long-term mortality risk as a result of the use of manual tools to determine the appropriate AK prosthesis. Similarly, resection of the ascending aorta (AA) due to an acute aortic aneurysm can lead to functional impairment of the AK due to inadequate intraoperative testing procedures. In the joint IDA project, a demonstrator for intraoperative digital aortography (IDA) is being researched and preclinically tested. There will be two hardware variants, the Pressure and Imaging Unit (PIU-1) enables the exact measurement of the AK under simulated diastolic pressure conditions with the heart at rest through the combined use of pressure and imaging 3D sensor technology. This leads to a reliable pressure test of the repaired AK under natural blood pressure conditions and thus enables a reliable statement on the tightness of the AK and the success of the operation. The use of the PIU-2 ensures optimal prosthesis selection for conventional AC replacement procedures. In its sub-project, Fachhochschule Dortmund is researching AI-based image recognition methods for the automatic detection of characteristic, medically relevant measuring points on aortic valves. With the results obtained, Klavant will be able to realize intraoperative measurement of aortic valves using optical 3D measurement methods in order to significantly increase the success of treatment in aortic valve surgery. Fachhochschule Dortmund will also incorporate the findings and algorithms of the sub-project into research-oriented teaching, thus ensuring the necessary transfer of knowledge.