Assessing Cardiomechanical Health through Imaging and Computational Modelling

Dr David Nordsletten (King's College London)

Thursday 9th February, 2017 14:00-15:00 Maths 515

Abstract

Personalised models of cardiac mechanics have evolved into a powerful tool for studying the human heart in health and disease [1]. Combining detailed information on heart kinematics extracted from medical images with mathematical models of cardiac function, patient-specific models provide a mathematical representation of individual hearts. As model parameters are linked to intrinsic tissue properties such as stiffness and contractility, unique and accurate parameter estimates are a prerequisite for the potential translation of personalised models to the clinic.

In parallel, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has evolved into a powerful tool for interrogating material stiffness [2]. MRE has been exploited in the liver, breast, and brain using measured periodic waves to extract material stiffness properties. Transducing waves via external vibrations, MRE provides a more direct measure of the characteristics of tissues and their potential diseases. Integrating this work into the heart is complicated by a myriad of challenges including the inherent cardiac motion of the heart, evolving material properties due to the contractile state of the muscle, and the nonlinear effects of deformation on the apparent stiffness of the material.

This talk discusses work focused on the merger of these two worlds, bridging between the nearly quasi-static model-based assessment of heart function and the high frequency wave-based assessment. Reviewing progress on model based computational biomechanics in the heart, this talk with share on-going research aimed at integrating traditional wave mechanics and biomechanical theory. Illustrating this relationship, results will be presented in hydrogel phantom materials confirming theory and comparing with traditional rheological measures. Further application of this work to the heart will be explored.

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