Computational modeling of intra-ventricular hemodynamics and left ventricle thrombosis

Left ventricular thrombosis (LVT) poses a significant risk factor for systemic thromboembolism after myocardial infarction. Post-infarction remodeling can permanently affect the ventricular wall's contractility leading to ventricular dysfunction. Abnormal intra-ventricular hemodynamics resulting from ventricular dysfunction combined with increased hypercoagulability can induce a procoagulant state in the ventricle, increasing the risk for LVT. Despite advancements in cardiovascular medicine, diagnosing, preventing, and treating LVT remains challenging. Computational fluid dynamic simulations offer a promising avenue to investigate intra-ventricular hemodynamics and LVT. We employ fluid-structure interaction methods informed by cine MRI data to compute intra-ventricular flows. Image registration allows us to capture ventricular wall displacement enabling the dynamic simulation of the ventricular flows. Based on the computed flow field, we perform reaction-advection-diffusion simulations to quantify the activation and transport of platelets and agonists. We simulate various post-infarction remodeling scenarios to examine the impact of ventricle infarction size and location on intra-ventricular hemodynamics and transport and their role in LVT development. The insights obtained from these simulations may help improve the early detection and management of LVT.