Intracardiac Flow Analysis of Single Ventricle Hearts

Analysis of intracardiac blood flow dynamics and flow structures traditionally focuses on the left side of the adult heart, offering significant mechanistic insights. However, these insights do not translate to single ventricle (SV) hearts, a congenital anomaly where half the heart is functional. Given their increased risk of heart failure, it is crucial to understand the unique flow dynamics in SV hearts. Yet, comprehensive flow analysis is challenging due to their complex morphology and motion, leaving substantial knowledge gaps about SV flow dynamics and patterns, particularly as patients age. This study aims to bridge these gaps by quantifying SV flow dynamics from birth to childhood. We reconstruct the intracardiac velocity fields from color Doppler echocardiography using Doppler Vector Reconstruction (DoVeR), a method based on the streamfunction-vorticity formulation. We quantify kinetic energy and losses, vortex strength, and pressure fields across different ages, anticipating increased disorganization in flow patterns, elevated energy losses, and altered pressure gradients as SV hearts mature. This research highlights the importance of detailed intraventricular flow measurements for understanding the unique mechanics of SV hearts.