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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
Magnetic Resonance Derived Myocardial Strain Assessment Using Feature Tracking
Published on: February 13, 2011
Regional differences in shape and load in normal and diseased hearts studied by three dimensional tagged magnetic
Y F Petrank1, S J Dong, J Tyberg
1The Heart System Research Center, Julius Silver Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
Insights
Three dimensional (3D) tagged MRI revealed distinct left ventricular geometry and stress patterns in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and right ventricular pressure overload (RVPO) patients. These findings aid in differentiating cardiac conditions using advanced imaging.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular imaging
- Cardiac mechanics
- Biomedical engineering
Background:
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and right ventricular pressure overload (RVPO) cause significant left ventricular (LV) shape and function alterations.
- Previous studies lacked detailed three-dimensional (3D) analysis of these geometric changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize regional left ventricular (LV) geometry and stress in patients with HCM and RVPO using 3D imaging.
- To compare these geometric parameters with those in healthy individuals with normal LV function.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 3D tagged magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess LV geometry and regional stresses.
- Calculated curvatures, stresses, wall thickness, and endocardial motion from surface and volume elements.
Main Results:
- Right ventricular pressure overload (RVPO) hearts showed increased septal flattening compared to normal and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) hearts.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) hearts exhibited lower stress indices due to increased wall thickness.
- Significant differences in lateral wall motion were observed in HCM and RVPO groups compared to normal hearts.
Conclusions:
- 3D tagged MRI-based curvature and stress mapping can serve as a clinical tool for differentiating healthy and diseased hearts.
- The study validates prior knowledge of HCM and RVPO derived from planar imaging methods.
Objectives:
We aimed to characterize regional geometry in relation to load in two groups of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and right ventricular pressure overload (RVPO) in relation to a group of subjects with normal left ventricular (LV) function.
Background:
Both these diseases are associated with marked changes in LV shape and function, which have not been studied with detailed three dimensional tools.
Methods:
Three dimensional (3D) tagged magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to characterize the 3D geometry and regional stresses of the left ventricles in patients with HCM and RVPO. Curvatures, stresses, wall thickness, and endocardial motion were calculated from surface and volume elements.
Results:
Hearts with RVPO exhibited more circumferential and meridional flattening of the septum than normal and HCM hearts. The stress indices were lowest in the HCM hearts, compared to normal and RVPO hearts, due to the larger thicknesses. There was a more significant difference between lateral wall motion and other regional wall motions in the HCM and RVPO hearts as compared to normal hearts.
Conclusions:
It is suggested that curvature and stress mapping by 3D tagged MRI can be used as an important clinical tool for characterizing and distinguishing between healthy and diseased hearts. The results provided here validated previous knowledge on HCM and RVPO known from planary imaging methods.
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