Personalized decision support for heart valve diseases

Heart Valve Diseases

Heart valve diseases currently affect approximately 2.5 percent of the population. They predominantly occur in older adults and are therefore becoming more common. Two conditions dominate the clinical picture: aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. Both are associated with significant morbidity and mortality and present a significant challenge for optimizing therapeutic strategies.

The timing and type of interventional procedure are of central importance in valvular diseases, yet remain difficult to determine in clinical practice. According to registry data, more than 70,000 valves are replaced or reconstructed annually in the EU (EACTS.org).

The EurValve Project

EurValve develops, tests, and validates a model-based Decision Support System (DSS) for aortic and mitral valve diseases. This enables the simulation, comparison, and understanding of the effects and risks of different treatment strategies.

Additionally, the DSS improves understanding of disease mechanisms through a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular function. This includes hemodynamic data from all cardiovascular compartments—such as ventricles, valves, and vessels—as well as multiscale model components that integrate organ and cellular function.

The DSS will offer significant benefits to patients with

• borderline indications for treatment such as valve replacement or reconstruction
• complex hemodynamic conditions such as combined aortic and mitral valve disease
• valve geometries relevant for valve reconstruction

By integrating multiple complex modeling approaches from EU research projects, a comprehensive, clinically applicable decision support system is being developed to address these challenges. This includes quantifying individual disease burden, predicting disease progression, evaluating the efficacy of alternative interventional options, and optimizing the patient-specific treatment plan.