DIE-HEART

POCTI/CBO/43940/2001 DIE-HEART, “Diagnostic Improvement of Echocardiography by Quantitative Assessment of HEART” (2002-2005)

After myocardial infarction (MI) part of the left ventricle (LV) myocardium is replaced by fibrotic scar tissue and LV regional mechanical properties become regionally different. In the evolution of MI the LV undergoes a remodelling process whereas the remaining functioning myocardium has to undertake the mechanical burden. In this process the LV either effectively compensates for the tissue loss or doesn’t and the LV dilates and clinical heart failure ensues.

Current imaging techniques have been applied to the early post-myocardial infarct period, however the geometric analysis they allow don’t predict the future development of remodelling, i.e. some ventricular shapes enlarge while similar ventricles will not. Current approaches either don’t calculate the regional mechanical properties or use simplified geometric assumptions that become grossly inaccurate when there are regional differences (e.g. in ischemic cardiomyopathy).

The aim DIE-HEART is to develop a 2D/3D echocardiographic technique (a low cost, non-invasive, non-radiative video technique) able to describe the left ventricle mechanical properties, including the stress/strain relations, the elasticity & mechanical work, applicable in clinical diagnosis & research and animal models. The application of the new methodology will be tested in its ability to detect and calculate the global and regional changes in the LV mechanical properties.

More information at the FCT website here.

Bento António Brázio Correia, Luis Afonso Brás Simões do Rosário, Maria Isabel de Sousa Rocha

Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação – INETI;

Hospital Garcia da Orta – Serviço de Cardiologia;

Universidade de Lisboa – Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento da Faculdade de Medicina – AIDFM;

Centro de Microcirculação e Biopatologia Vascular;

This project was funded by FCT under POCTI/CBO/43940/2001.