Wall-Bounded Vorticity in the Right Heart from 4DMRI Measurements

Time-resolved 3D cardiac magnetic resonance phase contrast flow imaging (4DMRI) was used to measure blood flow in the human heart in a small cohort of normal subjects and patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The ultimate goal of this work is to determine appropriate metrics to track the progress of diseases such as PH. Vorticity was derived from these measurements and decomposed into streamwise and helical components, with attention focused on the right ventricle and right atrium. The interaction of vorticity and structures such as valve leaflets, papillary muscles and chordae tendineae will be discussed.