Visualization of chicken embryo heart motion

Abstract

<p>We present a geometric surface parameterisation algorithm and multiple visualisation techniques (cross-sectional area and shape change, peristaltic motion, stress/strain, volume change, surface curvature change several visualisation techniques) adapted to the problem of understanding the 4D peristaltic-like motion of the outflow tract (OFT) in an embryonic chick heart. We illustrated the techniques using data from hearts under normal conditions (four embryos), and hearts in which blood flow conditions are altered through OFT banding (four embryos). The overall goal is to create quantitative measures of the temporal heart shape change both within a single subject and between multiple subjects. These measures will help elucidate how altering hemodynamic conditions changes the shape and motion of the OFT walls, which in turn influence the stresses and strains on the developing heart, causing it to develop differently. We take advantage of the tubular shape and periodic motion of the OFT to produce successively lower dimensional visualisations of the cardiac motion (e.g. curvature, volume and cross section) over time, and quantifications of such visualisations. These visualisations enable a more fine-grained understanding of how the contraction wave moves through the OFT and the cross-sectional shape change that accompanies it.</p