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Tikenoğullar i OZ, Peirlinck M, Chubb H, Dubin AM, Kuhl E, Marsden AL. Effects of cardiac growth on electrical dyssynchrony in the single ventricle patient. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2024; 27:1011-1027. [PMID: 37314141 PMCID: PMC10719423 DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2023.2222203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Single ventricle patients, including those with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), typically undergo three palliative heart surgeries culminating in the Fontan procedure. HLHS is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, and many patients develop arrhythmias, electrical dyssynchrony, and eventually ventricular failure. However, the correlation between ventricular enlargement and electrical dysfunction in HLHS physiology remains poorly understood. Here we characterize the relationship between growth and electrophysiology in HLHS using computational modeling. We integrate a personalized finite element model, a volumetric growth model, and a personalized electrophysiology model to perform controlled in silico experiments. We show that right ventricle enlargement negatively affects QRS duration and interventricular dyssynchrony. Conversely, left ventricle enlargement can partially compensate for this dyssynchrony. These findings have potential implications on our understanding of the origins of electrical dyssynchrony and, ultimately, the treatment of HLHS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- O. Z. Tikenoğullar i
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - M. Peirlinck
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - H. Chubb
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - A. M. Dubin
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - E. Kuhl
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - A. L. Marsden
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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2
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Ren M, Chan WX, Green L, Buist ML, Yap CH. Biventricular finite element modeling of the fetal heart in health and during critical aortic stenosis. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2024:10.1007/s10237-024-01842-6. [PMID: 38589684 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-024-01842-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Finite Element simulations are a robust way of investigating cardiac biomechanics. To date, it has only been performed with the left ventricle (LV) alone for fetal hearts, even though results are likely different with biventricular (BiV) simulations. In this research, we conduct BiV simulations of the fetal heart based on 4D echocardiography images to show that it can capture the biomechanics of the normal healthy fetal heart, as well as those of fetal aortic stenosis better than the LV alone simulations. We found that performing LV alone simulations resulted in overestimation of LV stresses and pressures, compared to BiV simulations. Interestingly, inserting a compliance between the LV and right ventricle (RV) in the lumped parameter model of the LV only simulation effectively resolved these overestimations, demonstrating that the septum could be considered to play a LV-RV pressure communication role. However, stresses and strains spatial patterns remained altered from BiV simulations after the addition of the compliance. The BiV simulations corroborated previous studies in showing disease effects on the LV, where fetal aortic stenosis (AS) drastically elevated LV pressures and reduced strains and stroke volumes, which were moderated down with the addition of mitral regurgitation (MR). However, BiV simulations enabled an evaluation of the RV as well, where we observed that effects of the AS and MR on pressures and stroke volumes were generally much smaller and less consistent. The BiV simulations also enabled investigations of septal dynamics, which showed a rightward shift with AS, and partial restoration with MR. Interestingly, AS tended to enhance RV stroke volume, but MR moderated that down.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meifeng Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4, Engineering Drive 3, E4-04-08, Singapore, 117583, Singapore
| | - Wei Xuan Chan
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, L2 Bessemer Building, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Laura Green
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, L2 Bessemer Building, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Martin L Buist
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4, Engineering Drive 3, E4-04-08, Singapore, 117583, Singapore.
| | - Choon Hwai Yap
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, L2 Bessemer Building, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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Zheng S, Ye L. Hemodynamic Melody of Postnatal Cardiac and Pulmonary Development in Children with Congenital Heart Diseases. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:234. [PMID: 38666846 PMCID: PMC11048247 DOI: 10.3390/biology13040234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Hemodynamics is the eternal theme of the circulatory system. Abnormal hemodynamics and cardiac and pulmonary development intertwine to form the most important features of children with congenital heart diseases (CHDs), thus determining these children's long-term quality of life. Here, we review the varieties of hemodynamic abnormalities that exist in children with CHDs, the recently developed neonatal rodent models of CHDs, and the inspirations these models have brought us in the areas of cardiomyocyte proliferation and maturation, as well as in alveolar development. Furthermore, current limitations, future directions, and clinical decision making based on these inspirations are highlighted. Understanding how CHD-associated hemodynamic scenarios shape postnatal heart and lung development may provide a novel path to improving the long-term quality of life of children with CHDs, transplantation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, and cardiac regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sixie Zheng
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai 200127, China;
- Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Lincai Ye
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai 200127, China;
- Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai 200127, China
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Green L, Chan WX, Prakash I, Tulzer A, Tulzer G, Yap CH. Pre-intervention myocardial stress is a good predictor of aortic valvoluplasty outcome for fetal critical aortic stenosis and evolving HLHS. J Physiol 2024; 602:663-681. [PMID: 38324229 DOI: 10.1113/jp285475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Fetal critical aortic stenosis with evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome (CAS-eHLHS) causes biomechanical and functional aberrations, leading to a high risk of progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) at birth. Fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) can resolve outflow obstruction and may reduce progression risk. However, it is currently difficult to accurately predict which patients will respond to the intervention and become functionally biventricular (BV) at birth, as opposed to becoming functionally univentricular (UV). This prediction is important for patient selection, parental counselling, and surgical planning. Therefore, we investigated whether biomechanics parameters from pre-FAV image-based computations could robustly distinguish between CAS-eHLHS cases with BV or UV outcomes in a retrospective cohort. To do so we performed image-based finite element biomechanics modelling of nine CAS-eHLHS cases undergoing intervention and six healthy fetal control hearts, and found that a biomechanical parameter, peak systolic myofibre stress, showed a uniquely large difference between BV and UV cases, which had a larger magnitude effect than echocardiography parameters. A simplified equation was derived for quick and easy estimation of myofibre stress from echo measurements via principal component analysis. When tested on a retrospective cohort of 37 CAS-eHLHS cases, the parameter outperformed other parameters in predicting UV versus BV outcomes, and thus has a high potential of improving outcome predictions, if incorporated into patient selection procedures. Physiologically, high myocardial stresses likely indicate a healthier myocardium that can withstand high stresses and resist pathological remodelling, which can explain why it is a good predictor of BV outcomes. KEY POINTS: Predicting the morphological birth outcomes (univentricular versus biventricular) of fetal aortic valvuloplasty for fetal aortic stenosis with evolving HLHS is important for accurate patient selection, parental counselling and management decisions. Computational simulations show that a biomechanics parameter, pre-intervention peak systolic myofibre stress, is uniquely robust in distinguishing between such outcomes, outperforming all echo parameters. An empirical equation was developed to quickly compute peak systolic myofibre stress from routine echo measurements and was the best predictor of outcomes among a wide range of parameters tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Green
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Wei Xuan Chan
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Indumita Prakash
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Andreas Tulzer
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Heat Center Linz, Kepler University Hospital, Linz, Austria
- Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria
| | - Gerald Tulzer
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Heat Center Linz, Kepler University Hospital, Linz, Austria
- Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria
| | - Choon Hwai Yap
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Green L, Chan WX, Ren M, Mattar CNZ, Lee LC, Yap CH. The dependency of fetal left ventricular biomechanics function on myocardium helix angle configuration. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2022; 22:629-643. [PMID: 36550241 PMCID: PMC10097781 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-022-01669-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The helix angle configuration of the myocardium is understood to contribute to the heart function, as finite element (FE) modeling of postnatal hearts showed that altered configurations affected cardiac function and biomechanics. However, similar investigations have not been done on the fetal heart. To address this, we performed image-based FE simulations of fetal left ventricles (LV) over a range of helix angle configurations, assuming a linear variation of helix angles from epicardium to endocardium. Results showed that helix angles have substantial influence on peak myofiber stress, cardiac stroke work, myocardial deformational burden, and spatial variability of myocardial strain. A good match between LV myocardial strains from FE simulations to those measured from 4D fetal echo images could only be obtained if the transmural variation of helix angle was generally between 110 and 130°, suggesting that this was the physiological range. Experimentally discovered helix angle configurations from the literature were found to produce high peak myofiber stress, high cardiac stroke work, and a low myocardial deformational burden, but did not coincide with configurations that would optimize these characteristics. This may suggest that the fetal development of myocyte orientations depends concurrently on several factors rather than a single factor. We further found that the shape, rather than the size of the LV, determined the manner at which helix angles influenced these characteristics, as this influence changed significantly when the LV shape was varied, but not when a heart was scaled from fetal to adult size while retaining the same shape. This may suggest that biomechanical optimality would be affected during diseases that altered the geometric shape of the LV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Green
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Wei Xuan Chan
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Meifeng Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Citra Nurfarah Zaini Mattar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National University Health Systems, Singapore, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lik Chuan Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA
| | - Choon Hwai Yap
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Zhou C, Li D, Cui Q, Sun Q, Hu Y, Xiao Y, Jiang C, Qiu L, Zhang H, Ye L, Sun Y. Ability of the Right Ventricle to Serve as a Systemic Ventricle in Response to the Volume Overload at the Neonatal Stage. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11121831. [PMID: 36552341 PMCID: PMC9775952 DOI: 10.3390/biology11121831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), volume overload (VO) is inevitable, and the right ventricle (RV) pumps blood into the systemic circulation. Understanding the molecular differences and their different responses to VO between the RV and left ventricle (LV) at the neonatal and highly plastic stages may improve the long-term management of children with HLHS. METHODS AND RESULTS A neonatal rat ventricular VO model was established by the creation of a fistula between the inferior vena cava and the abdominal aorta on postnatal day 1 (P1) and confirmed by echocardiographic and histopathological analyses. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that some of the major differences between a normal neonatal RV and LV were associated with the thyroid hormone and insulin signaling pathways. Under the influence of VO, the levels of insulin receptors and thyroid hormone receptors were significantly increased in the LV but decreased in the RV. The transcriptomic analysis also demonstrated that under the influence of VO, the top two common enriched pathways between the RV and LV were the insulin and thyroid hormone signaling pathways, whereas the RV-specific enriched pathways were primarily associated with lipid metabolism and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC); further, the LV-specific enriched pathways were primarily associated with nucleic acid metabolism and microRNAs in cancer. CONCLUSIONS Insulin and thyroid hormones may play critical roles in the differences between a neonatal RV and LV as well as their common responses to VO. Regarding the isolated responses to VO, the RV favors an ARVC change and the LV favors a reduction in microRNAs in cancer. The current study suggests that insulin, thyroid hormone, and cancer-associated microRNAs are potential therapeutic targets that should be explored by basic science studies to improve the function of the RV to match that of the LV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunxia Zhou
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Debao Li
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Qing Cui
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Qi Sun
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Yuqing Hu
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Yingying Xiao
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Chuan Jiang
- Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Lisheng Qiu
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Haibo Zhang
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- Correspondence: (H.Z.); (Y.S.); Tel.: +86-21-38626649 (H.Z. & Y.S.); Fax: +86-21-50891405 (H.Z. & Y.S.)
| | - Lincai Ye
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- Institute of Pediatric Translational Medicine, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Yanjun Sun
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- Correspondence: (H.Z.); (Y.S.); Tel.: +86-21-38626649 (H.Z. & Y.S.); Fax: +86-21-50891405 (H.Z. & Y.S.)
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7
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Ren M, Ong C, Buist ML, Yap CH. Biventricular biaxial mechanical testing and constitutive modelling of fetal porcine myocardium passive stiffness. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2022; 134:105383. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2022.105383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Larson AC, Didier R, Daszewska-Smith G, Chang J, Sridharan A, Agarwal D, Carreon CK, Sanders SP, Toba S, Partridge E. The fetal lamb model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia shows altered cerebral perfusion using contrast enhanced ultrasound. J Pediatr Surg 2022; 57:991-998. [PMID: 35346482 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2022.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurodevelopmental impairment is common in survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Altered cerebral perfusion in utero may contribute to abnormal brain development in CDH patients. METHODS 5 fetal lambs with surgical left-CDH and 5 controls underwent transuterine cranial Doppler and contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Global and regional perfusion metrics were obtained. Biometric and perfusion data were compared between groups via nonparametric Mann Whitney U test and Spearman's rank order correlation. RESULTS No significant differences in cerebral Doppler measurements were identified between groups. By CEUS, CDH animals demonstrated significantly decreased global brain perfusion and increased transit time. With focal regions-of-interest (ROIs), there was a tendency towards decreased perfusion in the central/thalamic region in CDH but not in the peripheral brain parenchyma. Transit time was significantly increased in both ROIs in CDH, whereas flux rate was decreased in the central/thalamic region but not the peripheral brain parenchyma. Biometric CDH severity was correlated to perfusion deficit. There was no difference in cardiomyocyte histology. CONCLUSION The fetal lamb model of CDH shows altered cerebral perfusion as measured by CEUS, correlating to disease severity. This suggests a physiological abnormality in fetal cerebrovascular perfusion that may contribute to abnormal brain development and neurodevelopmental impairment in survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby C Larson
- Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ryne Didier
- Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gabriela Daszewska-Smith
- Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jonathan Chang
- Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Anush Sridharan
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Divyansh Agarwal
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chrystalle Katte Carreon
- Cardiac Registry, Departments of Cardiology, Pathology, and Cardiac Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephen P Sanders
- Cardiac Registry, Departments of Cardiology, Pathology, and Cardiac Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shuhei Toba
- Cardiac Registry, Departments of Cardiology, Pathology, and Cardiac Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie, Japan
| | - Emily Partridge
- Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Weichert J, Weichert A. A "holistic" sonographic view on congenital heart disease: How automatic reconstruction using fetal intelligent navigation echocardiography eases unveiling of abnormal cardiac anatomy part II-Left heart anomalies. Echocardiography 2021; 38:777-789. [PMID: 33778977 DOI: 10.1111/echo.15037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Volume ultrasound has been shown to provide valid complementary information on fetal anatomy. Four-dimensional assessment (4D) of the fetal cardiovascular system using spatial-temporal image correlation (STIC) allows for detailed examination of a highly complex organ from the early second trimester onward. There is compelling evidence that this technique harbors quite a number of diagnostic opportunities, but manual navigation through STIC volume datasets is highly operator dependent. In fact, STIC is not incorporated yet into daily practice. Application of the novel fetal intelligent navigation echocardiography (FINE) considerably simplifies fetal cardiac volumetric examinations. This automatic technique applied on cardiac volume datasets reportedly has both high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of congenital heart defects (CHDs). Part I reviewed current data regarding detection rates of CHDs and illustrated the additional value of an automatic approach in delineating cardiac anatomy exemplified by congenital lesions of the right heart. In part II of this pictorial essay, we focused on left heart anomalies and aimed to tabulate recent findings on the quantification of normal and abnormal cardiac anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Weichert
- Division of Prenatal Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany.,Elbe Center of Prenatal Medicine and Human Genetics, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Weichert
- Department of Obstetrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin - CCM, Berlin, Germany.,Prenatal Medicine Bergmannstrasse, Berlin, Germany
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Rufaihah AJ, Chen CK, Yap CH, Mattar CNZ. Mending a broken heart: In vitro, in vivo and in silico models of congenital heart disease. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:14/3/dmm047522. [PMID: 33787508 PMCID: PMC8033415 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.047522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Birth defects contribute to ∼0.3% of global infant mortality in the first month of life, and congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect among newborns worldwide. Despite the significant impact on human health, most treatments available for this heterogenous group of disorders are palliative at best. For this reason, the complex process of cardiogenesis, governed by multiple interlinked and dose-dependent pathways, is well investigated. Tissue, animal and, more recently, computerized models of the developing heart have facilitated important discoveries that are helping us to understand the genetic, epigenetic and mechanobiological contributors to CHD aetiology. In this Review, we discuss the strengths and limitations of different models of normal and abnormal cardiogenesis, ranging from single-cell systems and 3D cardiac organoids, to small and large animals and organ-level computational models. These investigative tools have revealed a diversity of pathogenic mechanisms that contribute to CHD, including genetic pathways, epigenetic regulators and shear wall stresses, paving the way for new strategies for screening and non-surgical treatment of CHD. As we discuss in this Review, one of the most-valuable advances in recent years has been the creation of highly personalized platforms with which to study individual diseases in clinically relevant settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Jalil Rufaihah
- Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119228
| | - Ching Kit Chen
- Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119228.,Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119228
| | - Choon Hwai Yap
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Paediatrics, Khoo Teck Puat -National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore 119228.,Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Citra N Z Mattar
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228 .,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Health System, Singapore 119228
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11
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Ong CW, Ren M, Wiputra H, Mojumder J, Chan WX, Tulzer A, Tulzer G, Buist ML, Mattar CNZ, Lee LC, Yap CH. Biomechanics of Human Fetal Hearts with Critical Aortic Stenosis. Ann Biomed Eng 2020; 49:1364-1379. [PMID: 33175989 PMCID: PMC8058006 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-020-02683-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Critical aortic stenosis (AS) of the fetal heart causes a drastic change in the cardiac biomechanical environment. Consequently, a substantial proportion of such cases will lead to a single-ventricular birth outcome. However, the biomechanics of the disease is not well understood. To address this, we performed Finite Element (FE) modelling of the healthy fetal left ventricle (LV) based on patient-specific 4D ultrasound imaging, and simulated various disease features observed in clinical fetal AS to understand their biomechanical impact. These features included aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation (MR) and LV hypertrophy, reduced contractility, and increased myocardial stiffness. AS was found to elevate LV pressures and myocardial stresses, and depending on severity, can drastically decrease stroke volume and myocardial strains. These effects are moderated by MR. AS alone did not lead to MR velocities above 3 m/s unless LV hypertrophy was included, suggesting that hypertrophy may be involved in clinical cases with high MR velocities. LV hypertrophy substantially elevated LV pressure, valve flow velocities and stroke volume, while reducing LV contractility resulted in diminished LV pressure, stroke volume and wall strains. Typical extent of hypertrophy during fetal AS in the clinic, however, led to excessive LV pressure and valve velocity in the FE model, suggesting that reduced contractility is typically associated with hypertrophy. Increased LV passive stiffness, which might represent fibroelastosis, was found to have minimal impact on LV pressures, stroke volume, and wall strain. This suggested that fibroelastosis could be a by-product of the disease progression and does not significantly impede cardiac function. Our study demonstrates that FE modelling is a valuable tool for elucidating the biomechanics of congenital heart disease and can calculate parameters which are difficult to measure, such as intraventricular pressure and myocardial stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Wei Ong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Meifeng Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hadi Wiputra
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joy Mojumder
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, United States
| | - Wei Xuan Chan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Andreas Tulzer
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Heart Center Linz, Kepler University Hospital, Linz, Austria
| | - Gerald Tulzer
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Heart Center Linz, Kepler University Hospital, Linz, Austria
| | - Martin Lindsay Buist
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Citra Nurfarah Zaini Mattar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lik Chuan Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, United States
| | - Choon Hwai Yap
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Zhao D, Niu P, Sun X, Yin Z, Tan W, Huo Y. Mechanical difference of left ventricle between rabbits of myocardial infarction and hypertrophy. J Biomech 2020; 111:110021. [PMID: 32927116 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2020.110021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The analysis of cardiac wall stress is of importance to understand the development of heart failure (HF). The aim of the study is to carry out the cardiac mechanics analysis to show the changes of left ventricular (LV) wall stresses after LV hypertrophy (LVH) and myocardial infarction (MI). Here, LVH and MI were generated in rabbit hearts through the transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and the distal left circumflex (LCx) artery ligation operations, respectively. Physiological and CT measurements were carried out at postoperative 2 and 4 weeks, based on which a finite element (FE) model was developed to perform the mechanics computation. We found a gradual increase of end-diastolic myofiber stress in free wall and interventricular septum of LVH and MI (higher stress in the free wall than the septum). In the interventricular septum, the 4-weeks LVH group has the highest ED myofiber stresses (11.378 ± 3.022 kPa), while the 4-weeks MI group has the highest ED myofiber stresses (13.494 ± 2.835 kPa) in the free wall. LVH increased myocardial volume (3.49 ± 0.07 and 4.52 ± 0.26 ml at postoperative 2 and 4 weeks) while MI increased LV volume (from 2.75 ± 0.29 to 4.19 ± 0.27 ml). LVH and MI had different distributions of local myofiber stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongliang Zhao
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Pei Niu
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaotong Sun
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongjie Yin
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenchang Tan
- Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China; PKU-HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institution, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
| | - Yunlong Huo
- PKU-HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institution, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Institute of Mechanobiology & Medical Engineering, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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Lange S, Banerjee I, Carrion K, Serrano R, Habich L, Kameny R, Lengenfelder L, Dalton N, Meili R, Börgeson E, Peterson K, Ricci M, Lincoln J, Ghassemian M, Fineman J, del Álamo JC, Nigam V. miR-486 is modulated by stretch and increases ventricular growth. JCI Insight 2019; 4:125507. [PMID: 31513548 PMCID: PMC6795397 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.125507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Perturbations in biomechanical stimuli during cardiac development contribute to congenital cardiac defects such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). This study sought to identify stretch-responsive pathways involved in cardiac development. miRNA-Seq identified miR-486 as being increased in cardiomyocytes exposed to cyclic stretch in vitro. The right ventricles (RVs) of patients with HLHS experienced increased stretch and had a trend toward higher miR-486 levels. Sheep RVs dilated from excessive pulmonary blood flow had 60% more miR-486 compared with control RVs. The left ventricles of newborn mice treated with miR-486 mimic were 16.9%-24.6% larger and displayed a 2.48-fold increase in cardiomyocyte proliferation. miR-486 treatment decreased FoxO1 and Smad signaling while increasing the protein levels of Stat1. Stat1 associated with Gata-4 and serum response factor (Srf), 2 key cardiac transcription factors with protein levels that increase in response to miR-486. This is the first report to our knowledge of a stretch-responsive miRNA that increases the growth of the ventricle in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Lange
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
- Institute of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, the Wallenberg Laboratory and Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Indroneal Banerjee
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Katrina Carrion
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Ricardo Serrano
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCSD, San Diego, USA
| | - Louisa Habich
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Rebecca Kameny
- Department of Pediatrics, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, USA
| | - Luisa Lengenfelder
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Nancy Dalton
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Rudolph Meili
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCSD, San Diego, USA
| | - Emma Börgeson
- Institute of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, the Wallenberg Laboratory and Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kirk Peterson
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Marco Ricci
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Joy Lincoln
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Jeffery Fineman
- Department of Pediatrics, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, USA
| | - Juan C. del Álamo
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCSD, San Diego, USA
| | - Vishal Nigam
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Evaluation of stimulus-effect relations in left ventricular growth using a simple multiscale model. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2019; 19:263-273. [PMID: 31388869 PMCID: PMC7005098 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-019-01209-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac growth is the natural capability of the heart to change size in response to changes in blood flow demand of the growing body. Cardiac diseases can trigger the same process leading to an abnormal type of growth. Prediction of cardiac growth would be clinically valuable, but so far published models on cardiac growth differ with respect to the stimulus-effect relation and constraints used for maximum growth. In this study, we use a zero-dimensional, multiscale model of the left ventricle to evaluate cardiac growth in response to three valve diseases, aortic and mitral regurgitation along with aortic stenosis. We investigate how different combinations of stress- and strain-based stimuli affect growth in terms of cavity volume and wall volume and hemodynamic performance. All of our simulations are able to reach a converged state without any growth constraint, with the most promising results obtained while considering at least one stress-based stimulus. With this study, we demonstrate how a simple model of left ventricular mechanics can be used to have a first evaluation on a designed growth law.
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