Three-dimensional Lagrangian coherent structures in patients with aortic regurgitation

What is it about?

Understanding blood transport in cardiovascular flows is important for managing patients with cardiovascular disease. Three-dimensional flow patterns and structures (Lagrangian coherent structures), in the left ventricle of the heart, have been extracted for the first time in both healthy patients and patients with aortic regurgitation. In healthy subjects, Lagrangian coherent structures analysis revealed well-defined mitral jet structures during early filling, directing flow toward ejection during systole. For patients with aortic regurgitation, complex flow structures included interactions between the mitral and regurgitant jets, indicating altered blood transport mechanisms.

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Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This is the first study to highlight the ability of Lagrangian descriptors to extract coherent structures from patient-specific 4D flow MRI data in a computationally efficient way. It also underscores the importance of extracting three-dimensional Lagrangian coherent structures to gain a better understanding of the complex interaction between the mitral inflow and the regurgitant jet.