Left ventricular wall stress compendium.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Mechanics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiac Physiology

Background:

• Left ventricular (LV) wall stress, a concept dating back to the 1800s, plays a role in cardiac function and pathophysiology.
• Accurate in vivo determination of LV wall stress is essential but remains challenging.
• Current models struggle to fully represent LV anatomy, physiology, and dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive survey of existing left ventricular wall stress models.
• To compare the mechanics, stress computation, and results of different model types.
• To inform readers about the assumptions and limitations of various LV wall stress models.

Main Methods:

• Review and compendium of major LV wall stress models.
• Comparison of thin-wall, thick-wall shell, elasticity theory, thick-wall large deformation, and finite element models.
• Analysis of mean stress values and stress variation across the LV wall.

Main Results:

• Thin-wall and thick-wall shell models utilize idealized geometries (ellipsoidal, spherical).
• Elasticity models can simulate LV shape changes during the cardiac cycle.
• Finite element models offer more representative geometries but often rely on animal data, limiting clinical relevance.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive understanding of LV wall stress models is needed for accurate assessment.
• Model selection requires careful consideration of geometry, assumptions, and data limitations.
• Further development is needed to bridge the gap between computational models and clinical application.