Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of Blood Flow Inside a Diseased Left Ventricle With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Early Systole
Mitral-Septal contact has been proven to be the cause of obstruction in the left ventricle with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC). This paper presents a study on the fluid mechanics of obstruction using two-way loosely coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) methodology. A parametric model for the geometry of the diseased left ventricular cavity, myocardium and mitral valve has been developed, using the dimensions extracted from magnetic resonance images. The three-element Windkessel model [1] was modified for HC and solved to introduce pressure boundary condition to the aortic aperture in the systolic phase. The FSI algorithm starts at the beginning of systolic phase by applying the left ventricular pressure to the internal surface of the myocardium to contract the muscle. The displacements of the myocardium and mitral leaflets were calculated using the nonlinear finite element hyperelastic model [2] and subsequently transferred to the fluid domain. The fluid mesh was moved accordingly and the Navier-Stokes equations were solved in the laminar regime with the new mesh using the finite volume method. In the next time step, the left ventricular pressure was increased to contract the muscle further and the same procedure was repeated for the fluid solution. The results show that blood flow jet applies a drag force to the mitral leaflets which in turn causes the leaflet to deform toward the septum thus creating a narrow passage and possible obstruction.