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ARTICLE

Modeling Active Contraction and Relaxation of Left Ventricle Using Different Zero-load Diastole and Systole Geometries for Better Material Parameter Estimation and Stress/Strain Calculations

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1 Department of Mathematics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
2 Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
3 Network Technology Research Institute, China United Network Communications Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100048, China.
4 Mathematical Sciences Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA 01609 USA.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
* Corresponding author: Dalin Tang, e-mail: dtang@wpi.edu.

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics 2016, 13(1), 33-55. https://doi.org/10.3970/mcb.2016.013.044

Abstract

Modeling ventricle active contraction based on in vivo data is extremely challenging because of complex ventricle geometry, dynamic heart motion and active contraction where the reference geometry (zero-stress geometry) changes constantly. A new modeling approach using different diastole and systole zero-load geometries was introduced to handle the changing zero-load geometries for more accurate stress/strain calculations. Echo image data were acquired from 5 patients with infarction (Infarct Group) and 10 without (Non-Infarcted Group). Echo-based computational two-layer left ventricle models using one zero-load geometry (1G) and two zero-load geometries (2G) were constructed. Material parameter values in Mooney-Rivlin models were adjusted to match volume data. Effective Young’s moduli (YM) were calculated for easy comparison. For diastole phase, begin-filling (BF) mean YM value in the fiber direction (YMf) was 738%higher than its end-diastole (ED) value (645.39 kPa vs. 76.97 kPa, p=3.38E-06). For systole phase, end-systole (ES) YMf was 903% higher than its begin-ejection (BE) value (1025.10 kPa vs. 102.11 kPa, p=6.10E-05). Comparing systolic and diastolic material properties, ES YMf was 59% higher than its BF value (1025.10 kPa vs. 645.39 kPa. p=0.0002). BE mean stress value was 514% higher than its ED value (299.69 kPa vs. 48.81 kPa, p=3.39E-06), while BE mean strain value was 31.5% higher than its ED value (0.9417 vs. 0.7162, p=0.004). Similarly, ES mean stress value was 562% higher than its BF value (19.74 kPa vs. 2.98 kPa, p=6.22E-05), and ES mean strain value was 264% higher than its BF value (0.1985 vs. 0.0546, p=3.42E-06). 2G models improved over 1G model limitations and may provide better material parameter estimation and stress/strain calculations.

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