Landmark-free Shape Analysis of the Human Duodenum.

The primary function of the duodenum is to undertake chemical digestion by ensuring that the partially digested food received from the stomach is well-mixed with the enzymes and chemicals secreted into it. However, little is known about the anatomical variations in the shape of the duodenum within humans, and thus the effect of duodenum shape on the flow and mixing occurring within the lumen has not been studied. In this work, a methodology for analyzing shape variations in the normal duodenal anatomy has been developed and applied to a publicly available dataset of abdominal CT images.

MRI Derived Simulations of Flow Patterns in the Stomach.

A framework to simulate the flow in the stomach using subject-specific motility patterns and geometries was developed. Dynamic 2D magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were obtained. Motility parameters such as contraction speed and occlusion were quantified, and 3D stomach geometries were reconstructed using a semi-automated approach.

Modelling Flow and Mixing in the Proximal Small Intestine.

The small intestine is the primary site of enzymatic digestion and nutrient absorption in humans. Intestinal contractions facilitate digesta mixing, transport and contact with the absorptive surfaces. These motility patterns are regulated by an underlying electrical activity, termed slow waves.

A Novel Method for Time-Dependent Numerical Modeling of Gastric Motility Directly from Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Gastric motility has a critical role in disintegration and mixing of the ingested food inside the stomach. Several studies have been conducted to quantify and analyze the effect of the contractions of gastric musculature on the stomach contents. Despite the anatomical variation in stomach shape and motility patterns, previous numerical studies employed generalized geometries of the stomach as the computational domain for simulations.