In vivo validation of a fluid dynamics model of mitral valve M-mode echocardiogram.
A fluid dynamics model of mitral valve motion during diastolic filling of the left heart is described. Given a pulsed Doppler velocity pattern in the mitral annulus, the radius of circular mitral orifice, the length of leaflets and the end-systolic left ventricular volume, the numerical model predicts the time course of the mitral leaflets during diastole: the mitral valve M-mode echocardiogram. Results obtained by computer simulation have been validated with in vivo data. It is shown that mitral valve flow is essentially a fluid dynamics process of floating mitral valve leaflets with blood flow due to the atrioventricular pressure gradient. In addition, a partial opening of the mitral valve as the initial boundary condition is required to simulate the overshooting of the leaflets during early peak filling. Some back flow is a condition for perfect closing of the native mitral valve. The higher the unsteady character of mitral flow, the less efficient is the opening and closing processes of the mitral valve.
Verdonck
P
P
Hydraulics Laboratory, University of Gent, Belgium.
Segers
P
P
Missault
L
L
Verhoeven
R
R
D003198:Computer Simulation; D004452:Echocardiography; D018056:Hemorheology; D006801:Humans; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular