Abstract
Internal structures of the inner wall of the left ventricle (LV), such as trabeculae carneae (TC) and papillary muscles, may reduce the blood flow velocity, resulting in thrombus formation in the LV of a healthy heart or a heart with atrial fibrillation. The purpose of the present study was to numerically clarify the effects of simplified TC models around the LV wall and atrial fibrillation on the blood flow field as a fundamental study. The LV model was constructed from magnetic resonance images, and the model considering atrial fibrillation was constructed based on the volume change data of a healthy subject from which volume increase with atrial contraction was removed. Numerical analysis was performed considering eight simplified TC models around the LV wall. The numerical results revealed that the oscillatory shear index and relative residence time (RRT) at the apex in the LV model with internal structures were larger than those in the LV model without internal structures, which indicates that the blood flow tends to stagnate. On the other hand, as a result of the LV model considering the atrial fibrillation, the time-averaged wall shear stress decreases and the RRT increases at valley points of the internal structures.
Highlights
Coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases are leading causes of death
The effects of simplified internal structure models and atrial fibrillation on the blood flow field were qualitatively clarified by the numerical simulation
The time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) significantly increases at ridge region of the internal structures near the mitral valve
Summary
Coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases are leading causes of death. The prediction of thrombus formation, which causes myocardial and cerebral infarctions, is difficult. Previous studies have shown that a thrombus may be formed in the left atrial appendage as a result of the stagnation of blood flow.. Since the blood velocity in the left ventricle (LV) is generally considered to be sufficiently high to prevent thrombus formation, few studies on thrombus formation in the LV have been performed. Most studies have ignored the internal structures, such as trabeculae carneae (TC) and papillary muscles (PMs), and have assumed a smooth inner wall for simplification.. The internal structures may reduce the blood flow velocity, resulting in thrombus formation Most studies have ignored the internal structures, such as trabeculae carneae (TC) and papillary muscles (PMs), and have assumed a smooth inner wall for simplification. the internal structures may reduce the blood flow velocity, resulting in thrombus formation
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