Design, construction, and evaluation of a dynamic MR compatible cardiac left ventricle model.
OBJECTIVE
Development of magnetic resonance (MR) sequences is important to answer clinical questions and to overcome current limitations. To meet the challenges of cardiac MR, dynamic and reproducible testing conditions are required. We aimed at developing a dynamic MR-compatible cardiac left ventricle model that imitates myocardial tissue properties and simulates dynamic motion.


METHODS
A dynamic left ventricle silicone model was designed to match myocardial T(1) and T(2) relaxation times. Silicone mixtures were explored to replicate T(2) values of myocardial edema. A controllable piston pump was constructed to produce pulsatile flow paradigms. They were validated against flow sensors and MR data, including SSFP-based and phase-contrast-based sequences. A dedicated software interface was developed for the control.


RESULTS
Model dimensions represented cardiac left ventricle dimensions of healthy men. The range of end diastolic volumes was 85-175 ml, depending on the driven stroke volume. Stroke volume quantification for flow paradigms of 30∕60∕90∕120 ml resulted in 29.2∕57.6∕88.8∕118.4 ml by MR volumetry, 29.6∕59.9∕89.4∕119.0 ml by phase contrast measurements, and 29.9∕60.4∕91.1∕120.9 ml by flow meter revealing consistency. The system accurately replicated physiological and pathophysiological flow paradigms. The silicon model exhibited T(1) of 1002 ± 8 ms, T(2) of 58 ± 1 ms. Signal intensities (a.u.) of the ventricle model were 128 ± 23 for FGRE (vs 138 ± 17 in vivo) and 1156 ± 37 for b-SSFP (vs 991 ± 96 in vivo). T(2) of 75 ± 2 ms was achieved for the myocardial pathology.


CONCLUSIONS
We developed a controllable left ventricle model resembling MR signal characteristics of human myocardium, including pathological conditions, and allowing for the replication of contraction and flow paradigms.
Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin 13125, Germany. Matthias.dieringer@charite.de
Matthias A
MA
Dieringer
Jan
J
Hentschel
Thiago
T
de Quadros
Florian
F
von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff
Werner
W
Hoffmann
Thoralf
T
Niendorf
Jeanette
J
Schulz-Menger
D003198:Computer Simulation; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D004548:Elasticity; D004867:Equipment Design; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D016011:Normal Distribution; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry; D012828:Silicones / Q000737:chemistry
D012828:Silicones; D012825:Silicon