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A Novel Ex Ovo Banding Technique to Alter Intracardiac Hemodynamics in an Embryonic Chicken System
Published on: May 13, 2016
Computational fluid dynamics of developing avian outflow tract heart valves
Koonal N Bharadwaj1, Cassie Spitz, Akshay Shekhar
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7501, USA.
Annals of Biomedical Engineering
|April 27, 2012
Summary
This study quantifies embryonic heart blood flow, revealing how hemodynamic forces shape cardiac development and valve formation. Understanding these forces provides critical insights into congenital heart defects.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Developmental Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Hemodynamic forces are crucial for embryonic heart development and valve formation.
- Congenital heart defects can arise from altered blood flow, but precise mechanisms remain unclear.
- Quantifying fluid forces in the developing heart is challenging due to its small, dynamic anatomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To rigorously quantify the hemodynamic environment in the embryonic outflow tract (OFT) and developing valves.
- To establish a quantitative baseline dataset for embryonic cardiac hemodynamics.
- To correlate hemodynamic parameters with key cardiac morphogenetic events.
Main Methods:
- Combined in vivo Doppler ultrasound with Micro-Computed Tomography for 3D OFT geometries (Hamburger-Hamilton stages 16-30 chick embryos).
- Employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, iterating initial conditions to match in vivo Doppler velocity profiles.
- Validated CFD models against experimental flow measurements.
Main Results:
- Early OFT flow (HH16, HH23) approximated Poiseuille flow; later stages (HH27, HH30) showed plug flow.
- Peak wall shear stress (WSS) increased from 18.16 to 671.24 dynes/cm² from HH16 to HH30.
- Averaged WSS increased from 3.03 to 136.50 dynes/cm² over the same period.
- Simulated flow patterns indicated reduced mixing compared to classical methods.
- Observed changes in flow patterns preceded and correlated with OFT septation and valve formation.
Conclusions:
- Novel method accurately quantifies embryonic cardiac hemodynamics.
- Hemodynamic forces play a significant role in sculpting the embryonic heart and valves.
- Findings provide a quantitative basis for understanding congenital heart defect origins.
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