Using 3D FSI RV/LV Models Based on Patient-Specific MRI Data to Predict Outcome of PVI and RV Volume Reduction Surgeries

Abstract

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a common cause of heart failure in patients with congenital heart defects and often leads to impaired functional capacity and premature death. Computational heart models have been developed to understand the complex blood flow and cardiac mechanical behaviors [2,4]. However, clinic-oriented patient-specific models with fluid-structure interactions which can be used to make accurate predictions for potential surgical outcome are still lacking in the literature and clinical practices. A novel modeling procedure is proposed to test the hypotheses that a) patient-specific computational RV/LV combination model based on pre-operation MRI data can provide accurate assessment of RV cardiac functions (measured by RV ejection fraction and stroke volume) and that b) the RV/LV model validated by pre-operation data can be used as the base model to perform virtual pulmonary valve insertion (PVI) and RV volume reduction surgery to optimize post-operative RV morphology and patch design prior to the actual operation and that this procedure will lead to improved recovery of RV functions. With validation, this modeling process could replace empirical and often risky clinical experimentation to examine the efficiency and suitability of various reconstructive procedures in diseased hearts.