Flow analysis within the left ventricle using an integral equation method: interest in left ventricular function assessment.

The following parameters are derived from a hydrodynamic analysis of left ventricular ejection: pressure distribution along ventricular long axis and walls, regional and net forces applied to the blood within the ventricle. They are computed from human ventricular contours (angiograms), using an original application of integral equation method and numerical analysis. This technique enables flow analysis inside bodies of any shape. Comparison of each parameter computed from normal and infarcted (akinetic or bulged) ventricles shows that hydrodynamic analysis within the human left ventricle may provide better documented and quantitative assessment of its muscular and pump function than does morphological analysis of cardiac imaging.