Animal preparation
The animal study was approved by the local hospital’s ethics committee with a project license (NO.2018-DW-006). All animal procedures were completed under the ”Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China. Pigs weighing 55-75Kg were selected for the valve intervention. All animals were fasted and deprived of water eight hours before surgery. Transthoracic cardiac echocardiography was performed to measure mitral anatomy before valved stent deployment. The maximum diameter of the mitral annulus and mitral area were accurately measured for subsequent study. (Figure 2 A&B)