Chordal force profile after neochordal repair of anterior mitral valve prolapse

This study aimed to biomechanically evaluate the force profiles on the anterior primary and secondary chordae after neochord repair for anterior valve prolapse with varied degrees of residual mitral regurgitation using an ex vivo heart simulator. Briefly, a 3D printer was used to rapidly develop a prototype of a modular left heart coupled to a pulsatile linear actuator (ViVitro Superpump; ViVitro Labs). In our ex vivo AVP model, moderate residual MR following neochord repair was significantly associated with increased forces for both anterior primary and secondary chordae compared with those of less-than-moderate residual MR.