Investigating the Shortcomings of the Flow Convergence Method for Quantification of Mitral Regurgitation in a Pulsatile In-Vitro Environment and with Computational Fluid Dynamics.

The flow convergence method includes calculation of the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) and is widely used to classify mitral regurgitation (MR) with echocardiography. It constitutes a primary decision factor for determination of treatment and should therefore be a robust quantification method. However, it is known for its tendency to underestimate MR and its dependence on user expertise.

Sequential Coupling Shows Minor Effects of Fluid Dynamics on Myocardial Deformation in a Realistic Whole-Heart Model.

The human heart is a masterpiece of the highest complexity coordinating multi-physics aspects on a multi-scale range. Thus, modeling the cardiac function to reproduce physiological characteristics and diseases remains challenging. Especially the complex simulation of the blood's hemodynamics and its interaction with the myocardial tissue requires a high accuracy of the underlying computational models and solvers.

Replication of left ventricular haemodynamics with a simple planar mitral valve model.

Tools for the numerical prediction of haemodynamics in multi-disciplinary integrated heart simulations have to be based on computational models that can be solved with low computational effort and still provide physiological flow characteristics. In this context the mitral valve model is important since it strongly influences the flow kinematics, especially during the diastolic phase. In contrast to a 3D valve, a vastly simplified valve model in form of a simple diode is known to be unable to reproduce the characteristic vortex formation and unable to promote a proper ventricular washout.