Investigating left ventricle wall motion using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an established radiological technique for assessment of cardiac function. Various MRI methods are utilized for global and regional evaluation of the myocardium through tracking the motion of tissue as the heart beats. Such tracking of motion reveals local as well as global deformation of the heart wall during contraction and relaxation. It has been shown that wall motion profiles of a healthy heart differ than those of a diseased heart due to variations in contractile behavior resulting from complications and abnormalities. Therefore, understanding heart wall motion and quantifying contractility serve as a valuable tool for evaluating myocardial viability as well as diagnosis of heart condition. Hence, in this presented work the focus is to utilize cardiac MRI techniques to develop computational algorithms that accurately describe myocardial motion in both global and regional aspects. Through acquiring cardiac MRI data from rat subjects, quantitative measurements are performed and mathematical models are formulated to quantify contractility and map local myocardial motion. Such measurements and formulations serve as means for providing important bio-imaging markers that reflect the state of the myocardial tissue, as well as indicators for inspecting the condition of the heart.