Novel measurement setup for evaluation of left ventricle motion and strain tracking methods

Cardiac strain quantification using ultrasound is an active area of research. Physical left ventricle (LV) model play a significant role in the evaluation and development of myocardium strain imaging techniques. Several LV models have been reported. In spite of increasing interest in LV twist, only one of them implements torsional deformation, but it does not allow long axis views. This work presents a novel prototype of physical LV model and dedicated measurement setup which do not have this limitation. The model was made of Poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel (PVA-c). The solution for the chamber part was doped with scattering particles to imitate the echogenicity of myocardium and to facilitate automatic segmentation of the chamber wall. The model was mounted in a measurement setup allowing computer controlled linear motion of the basis, rotation of the apex and inflation of the ventricle and the use both ultrasound imaging planes: short (SAX) and long axis (LAX). During preliminary tests RF signals as well as B-mode and M-mode images were acquired. Experiment results confirmed the possibility of forcing controlled deformation of the presented LV model wall, including elongation/shortening in the long axis direction and twist around this axis. In consequence, the model can mimic deformations of the LV wall to a large extent. The chamber wall can be segmented in B-mode images in both projections. The model with the measurement setup may be used in development and validation of a wide range of echocardiographic diagnostic procedures including segmentation, strain estimation and 3D data processing.