Damien Garcia - Research Centre of the University of Montreal Hospital, Canada

Welcome in CREATIS-3 team

The collaborative project that we propose is a very well identified clinical question: is it possible to predict the success of valve replacement by TAVI? This is a problem that is perfectly in line with the application objectives of Labex PRIMES since it concerns cardiovascular pathologies linked to aging. Doppler vortography is the result of Damien Garcia's work, it's a new imaging method. The work that will be done in this project falls under both WP2 and WP4. Indeed, although based on a standard Doppler acquisition, the numerical methods and flow modeling on which vortography is based make it an innovative imaging technique (WP2). In addition, like the majority of vector velocimetry techniques, it is part of the family of multidimensional image processing methods (WP4).

My Canadian team recently developed a new echocardiographic imaging technique, called Doppler Vortography, to detect and quantify vortices (vortices) that form in the left ventricle during ventricular relaxation [1] - [3]. Our preliminary echocardiographic studies show that the relative size of these vortices is an early marker of diastolic function. Doppler vortography has been validated in silico (by numerical simulations) and in vitro [1]. An in vivo assessment of targeted populations remains necessary to evaluate the clinical potential of such an echocardiographic tool.
Objectives: To test Doppler vortography in pre / post TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) patients.

[1] F. Mehregan, F. Tournoux, S. Muth, P. Pibarot, R. Rieu, G. Cloutier, and D. Garcia, “Doppler vortography: a color Doppler approach to
quantification of intraventricular blood flow vortices,” Ultrasound Med. Biol., vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 210–221, 2014.
[2] D. Garcia, L. Le Tarnec, J. Sharestan, D. Auger, and F. Tournoux, “Blood velocity patterns in healthy subjects and patients with
cardiomyopathy: a new echo tool using Doppler vector flow mapping,” Can. J. Cardiol., vol. 29, no. 10, p. S270, 2013.
[3] F. Mehregan, S. Muth, F. Tournoux, and D. Garcia, “A new method for the assessment of vortex formation during LV filling: measurement
of the intracardiac vorticity by Doppler vortography,” Can. J. Cardiol., vol. 28, no. 5, pp. S353–S354, 2012.