Computational Modeling of Left Ventricle-Valve Dynamics using a Fluid-Structure Interaction Framework
Author(s)
Caballero, Andres D.
Advisor(s)
Sun, Wei
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Abstract
The left heart (LH) is a key player of the cardiovascular system. Diseases of and associated with the left ventricle (LV)-valve complex account for a large share of cardiovascular disease-related deaths. As accurate and detailed interrogation of cardiac function has been actively pursued clinically in recent years, computational modeling has emerged as a viable approach to study the LH dynamics in healthy and diseased states. Yet, most of the previous computational investigations have either solved the fluid or structural physics alone, have been limited to idealized or 2D geometries, have adopted linear elastic material models, have focused on a short time frame of the cardiac cycle, or have not incorporated all LH structures. Proper LV-valve dynamics require a balanced interplay between the LV, the left atrium, the aortic valve (AV), the mitral valve (MV) and the blood flow. Thus, blood-leaflet interaction, leaflet coaptation, and flow dynamics into, within and outward of the LV are all critical parameters to investigate, an area where fluid-structure interaction (FSI) computational modeling is required.
The main objective of this work is to model the FSI between the blood flow, the heart valves and the cardiac wall during the entire cardiac cycle in order to improve our understanding of the biomechanics of the LH complex under baseline, diseased and repaired states. First, a novel FSI framework for modeling the 3D LV-valve dynamics will be developed and validated. Aim 1 will involve the creation of physiologic and pathological LH models that incorporate imaged-based cardiac wall motion, anatomically accurate valve geometries, anisotropic nonlinear hyperelastic constitutive models, and human cardiac tissue material properties. Next, these holistic LH models will be used to better understand the biomechanical challenges facing transcatheter valve technologies that cannot be fully evaluated by finite element (FE) or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, or by in vitro studies or medical imaging alone. Thus, Aim 2 will investigate the LH dynamics under various transcatheter MV repair (TMVR) and transcatheter AV replacement (TAVR) procedures. The findings from this study may unfold new perspectives for an improved understanding of cardiovascular pathophysiology, device-host biomechanical interaction, inform treatment strategies, support better device design, and ultimately support improved clinical outcomes.
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Date
2019-11-12
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Text
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Dissertation