The shape of the healthy heart is optimized for vortex ring formation

Background Intracardiac blood flow is known to influence cardiac development through transduction of endothelial shear forces. Vortex rings inside the left ventricle constitute a possible “blueprint” for cardiogenesis, the hemodynamic determinant of final cardiac shape. However, the relationship between the vortex ring and endocardium has previously not been quantified, and the influence of the vortex ring dimensions on the shape of the heart has therefore not been considered. We hypothesized a dynamic coupling between the vortex ring and the healthy left ventricle throughout diastole, and uncoupling in the diseased heart (Fig. 1). Methods 16 healthy volunteers and 23 patients with heart failure (n = 12 ischemic, n = 11 non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy), underwent CMR examination at 1.5T (n = 27) or 3T (n = 8), including 4D flow. Vortex ring boundary was calculated using Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCS) and CUDA parallel computing. Vortex ring and LV endocardium were manually delineated, and the average distance between the delineations was measured for all time points in diastole.