Search
Menu
Gentec Electro-Optics Inc   - Measure With Gentec Accuracy LB

3-D stress map reveals embryonic heart defects

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
Ashley N. Rice, [email protected]

Stresses induced in an embryonic heart by blood flow have been visualized for the first time in 3-D using an optical coherence tomography (OCT) method. The technique could provide new insight into how and why heart defects develop.


A map of the shear stress on a developing heart at four evenly spaced time points during a heart cycle. Red indicates areas of greater stress. Images courtesy of Biomedical Optics Express
.

Biomedical engineers at Case Western Reserve University investigated shear stress – the parallel force of one material sliding along another – using a modified Doppler OCT technique. In the developing heart, shear stress is induced in the heart’s own endocardial cells as blood cells rush past them.

This stress typically helps to control and regulate cellular processes involved in heart development. Even tiny aberrations in the heartbeat, however, can alter blood flow patterns and change these developmental forces, leading to congenital heart defects such as abnormal valve formation.

“All previous attempts at shear-stress mapping have been two-dimensional, but the 3-D geometry of the embryonic heart is changing hour by hour at these early stages, and the shape of the heart twists and turns as it develops, so a 2-D projection doesn’t really provide a good approximation,” said Andrew M. Rollins, an associate professor of biomedical engineering.

CASTECH INC - High Precision CNC Polished Aspherical Lenses


A quail embryo. The bulge on the middle left side of the embryo is its developing heart.


Rollins and colleagues directly measured the heart structure and blood flow within the developing hearts of quail embryos with their modified OCT method. The data collected was used to create 4-D images (3-D movies), which showed that “locations of high shear correspond with locations of future valve formation,” he said.

The team currently is investigating the effects of abnormal shear on valve development caused by alcohol exposure, Rollins said. Next, they hope to adapt the technique based on the information gathered from their preliminary animal tests and apply it to humans. Their goal is a tool that doctors could use to identify whether early intervention could prevent defects in developing hearts.

The research appeared in Biomedical Optics Express (doi: 10.1364/boe.3.003022).

Published: January 2013
Glossary
optical coherence tomography
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique used in medical and scientific fields to capture high-resolution, cross-sectional images of biological tissues. It provides detailed, real-time, and three-dimensional visualization of tissue structures at the micrometer scale. OCT is particularly valuable in ophthalmology, cardiology, dermatology, and various other medical specialties. Here are the key features and components of optical coherence tomography: Principle of...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
3-D mapping4-D imagesabnormal heart valve formationAmericasAndrew RollinsBiophotonicsBioScanblood cellsblood flow stressCase Western Reserve Universitycellular process regulationembryonic heart defectsendocardial cellsheart defectsheart valve formationImagingNewsOCTOhiooptical coherence tomographyOpticsphotonicsquail embryosshear stress mapping

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.