4D Blood Flow in the Left Heart

Introduction: Due to the complex 3-dimensional (3D) nature of the beating left heart and flow direction through the chambers, normal physiological as well as pathologically altered blood flow conditions are difficult to assess in-vivo. MR studies using comprehensive 3-dimensional (3D) and 3-directionally encoded techniques, (flow-sensitive 4D MRI) have given information on multidirectional blood flows and offer the possibility to measure and visualize the temporal evolution of complex flow patterns within a 3D-volume encompassing vascular segments or even the entire beating human heart [1-2]. In this study, the technique was employed to systematically identify and evaluate the existence and extent of typical flow patterns in the left heart. A second aim was to evaluate how increased age affects left atrial and left ventricular flow characteristics.