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- Casas Garcia, Belén, et al.
(författare)
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Bridging the gap between measurements and modelling : a cardiovascular functional avatar
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lumped parameter models of the cardiovascular system have the potential to assist researchers and clinicians to better understand cardiovascular function. The value of such models increases when they are subject specific. However, most approaches to personalize lumped parameter models have thus far required invasive measurements or fall short of being subject specific due to a lack of the necessary clinical data. Here, we propose an approach to personalize parameters in a model of the heart and the systemic circulation using exclusively non-invasive measurements. The personalized model is created using flow data from four-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging and cuff pressure measurements in the brachial artery. We term this personalized model the cardiovascular avatar. In our proof-of-concept study, we evaluated the capability of the avatar to reproduce pressures and flows in a group of eight healthy subjects. Both quantitatively and qualitatively, the model-based results agreed well with the pressure and flow measurements obtained in vivo for each subject. This non-invasive and personalized approach can synthesize medical data into clinically relevant indicators of cardiovascular function, and estimate hemodynamic variables that cannot be assessed directly from clinical measurements.
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| 2. |
- Casas Garcia, Belén, 1985-
(författare)
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Towards Personalized Models of the Cardiovascular System Using 4D Flow MRI
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Current diagnostic tools for assessing cardiovascular disease mostly focus on measuring a given biomarker at a specific spatial location where an abnormality is suspected. However, as a result of the dynamic and complex nature of the cardiovascular system, the analysis of isolated biomarkers is generally not sufficient to characterize the pathological mechanisms behind a disease. Model-based approaches that integrate the mechanisms through which different components interact, and present possibilities for system-level analyses, give us a better picture of a patient’s overall health status.One of the main goals of cardiovascular modelling is the development of personalized models based on clinical measurements. Recent years have seen remarkable advances in medical imaging and the use of personalized models is slowly becoming a reality. Modern imaging techniques can provide an unprecedented amount of anatomical and functional information about the heart and vessels. In this context, three-dimensional, three-directional, cine phase-contrast (PC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), commonly referred to as 4D Flow MRI, arises as a powerful tool for creating personalized models. 4D Flow MRI enables the measurement of time-resolved velocity information with volumetric coverage. Besides providing a rich dataset within a single acquisition, the technique permits retrospective analysis of the data at any location within the acquired volume.This thesis focuses on improving subject-specific assessment of cardiovascular function through model-based analysis of 4D Flow MRI data. By using computational models, we aimed to provide mechanistic explanations of the underlying physiological processes, derive novel or improved hemodynamic markers, and estimate quantities that typically require invasive measurements. Paper I presents an evaluation of current markers of stenosis severity using advanced models to simulate flow through a stenosis. Paper II presents a framework to personalize a reduced-order, mechanistic model of the cardiovascular system using exclusively non-invasive measurements, including 4D Flow MRI data. The modelling approach can unravel a number of clinically relevant parameters from the input data, including those representing the contraction and relaxation patterns of the left ventricle, and provide estimations of the pressure-volume loop. In Paper III, this framework is applied to study cardiovascular function at rest and during stress conditions, and the capability of the model to infer load-independent measures of heart function based on the imaging data is demonstrated. Paper IV focuses on evaluating the reliability of the model parameters as a step towards translation of the model to the clinic.
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| 3. |
- Dyverfeldt, Petter, 1980-
(författare)
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Extending MRI to the Quantification of Turbulence Intensity
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In cardiovascular medicine, the assessment of blood flow is fundamental to the understanding and detection of disease. Many pharmaceutical, interventional, and surgical treatments impact the flow. The primary purpose of the cardiovascular system is to drive, control and maintain blood flow to all parts of the body. In the normal cardiovascular system, fluid transport is maintained at high efficiency and the blood flow is essentially laminar. Disturbed and turbulent blood flow, on the other hand, appears to be present in many cardiovascular diseases and may contribute to their initiation and progression. Despite strong indications of an important interrelationship between flow and cardiovascular disease, medical imaging has lacked a non-invasive tool for the in vivo assessment of disturbed and turbulent flow. As a result, the extent and role of turbulence in the blood flow of humans have not yet been fully investigated.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a versatile tool for the non-invasive assessment of flow and has several important clinical and research applications, but might not yet have reached its full potential. Conventional MRI techniques for the assessment of flow are based on measurements of the mean velocity within an image voxel. The mean velocity corresponds to the first raw moment of the distribution of velocities within a voxel. An MRI framework for the quantification of any moment (mean, standard deviation, skew, etc.) of arbitrary velocity distributions is presented in this thesis.Disturbed and turbulent flows are characterized by velocity fluctuations that are superimposed on the mean velocity. The intensity of these velocity fluctuations can be quantified by their standard deviation, which is a commonly used measure of turbulence intensity. This thesis focuses on the development of a novel MRI method for the quantification of turbulence intensity. This method is mathematically derived and experimentally validated. Limitations and sources of error are investigated and guidelines for adequate application of MRI measurements of turbulence intensity are outlined. Furthermore, the method is adapted to the quantification of turbulence intensity in the pulsatile blood flow of humans and applied to a wide range of cardiovascular diseases. In these applications, elevated turbulence intensity was consistently detected in regions where highly disturbed flow was anticipated, and the effects of potential sources of errors were small.Diseased heart valves are often replaced with prosthetic heart valves, which, in spite of improved benefits and durability, continue to fall short of matching native flow patterns. In an in vitro setting, MRI was used to visualize and quantify turbulence intensity in the flow downstream from four common designs of prosthetic heart valves. Marked differences in the extent and degree of turbulence intensity were detected between the different valves.Mitral valve regurgitation is a common valve lesion associated with progressive left atrial and left ventricular remodelling, which may often require surgical correction to avoid irreversible ventricular dysfunction. The spatiotemporal dynamics of flow disturbances in mitral regurgitation were assessed based on measurements of flow patterns and turbulence intensity in a group of patients with significant regurgitation arising from similar valve lesions. Peak turbulence intensity occurred at the same time in all patients and the total turbulence intensity in the left atrium appeared closely related to the severity of regurgitation.MRI quantification of turbulence intensity has the potential to become a valuable tool in investigating the extent, timing and role of disturbed blood flow in the human cardiovascular system, as well as in the assessment of the effects of different therapeutic options in patients with vascular or valvular disorders.
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| 7. |
- Ebbers, Tino, 1972-
(författare)
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Flow Imaging: Cardiac Applications of 3D Cine Phase-Contrast MRI
- 2011
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Ingår i: Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1941-9074 .- 1941-9066. ; 4:2, s. 127-133
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global and regional blood flow dynamics are of pivotal importance to cardiac function. Fluid mechanical forces can affect hemolysis and platelet aggregation, as well as myocardial remodeling. In recent years, assessment of blood flow patterns based on time-resolved, three-dimensional, three-directional phase-contrast MRI (3D cine PC MRI) has become possible and rapidly gained popularity. Initially, this technique was mainly known for its intuitive and appealing visualizations of the cardiovascular blood flow. Most recently, the technique has begun to go beyond compelling images toward comprehensive and quantitative assessment of blood flow. In this article, cardiac applications of 3D cine PC MRI data are discussed, starting with a review of the acquisition and analysis techniques, and including descriptions of promising applications of cardiac 3D cine PC MRI for the clinical evaluation of myocardial, valvular, and vascular disorders.
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| 8. |
- Ebbers, Tino, et al.
(författare)
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Higher order weighted least-squares phase offset correction for improved accuracy in phase-contrast MRI
- 2008
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging has the ability to accurately measure blood flow and myocardial velocities in the human body. Unwanted spatially varying phase offsets are, however, always present and may deteriorate the measurements significantly. Some of these phase offsets can be estimated based on the pulse sequence (1), but effects caused by eddy currents are more difficult to predict. A linear fit of the phase values is often estimated from either a number of manually defined areas containing stationary tissue or by semi-automatic detection of stationary tissue using the
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Haraldsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of DENSE Reference Strategies
- 2009
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. ; , s. 819-819
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
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