Simplified model of mitral valve regurgitations provides insight on heart disease

Mitral valve regurgitation (MV) is a heart condition preventing the mitral valve to seal tightly. This allows blood to flow backward within the heart and creates an impairment of left ventricular pumping function, a limited ventricle washout, and ultimately increases the onset of thrombogenic events.

Using a computational model based on clinical images, Collia et al. gained unprecedented details on the fluid dynamics associated with MV. From there, they applied direct numerical simulations to a sophisticated immersed boundary method for the analysis of the motion of flow-driven valvular elements. This computational protocol allowed for unprecedented analysis of MV complete flow phenomena.

The authors’ fluid dynamics model is simplified and does not require introduction of mechanical parameters of the tissues, an advantage with respect of previous models in the case where patient specific models are envisioned. It also allows the identification of the source of mitral regurgitation directly from the mitral valve orifice.

“This approach may represent an extension of medical imaging technology. The valvular asymptotic model is crucial for such innovation as it allows the use of a patient’s specific geometries, which can be obtained in the clinical routine,” Collia said. “This approach is useful in evaluating mitral valve repair and possibly improving surgical procedure.”

The authors are currently partnered with a surgery team specializing in mitral valve repair. They are extending this study to evaluate the differences between pre-op and post-op repair to provide assessments that could be predictive of long-term outcomes of surgery.

Source: “Analysis of mitral valve regurgitation by computational fluid dynamics,” by Dario Collia, Luigino Zovatto, and Gianni Pedrizzetti, APL Bioengineering (2019). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5097245 .