Modeling of fiber orientation in the ventricular myocardium with MR diffusion imaging

A numerical simulation of the electrical and mechanical behavior of the heart requires appropriate anatomical models. Suitable are models that describe the macroscopic anatomy including information concerning the averaged local fiber direction. This work describes methods to create anatomical, macroscopic models using different techniques of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, i.e. proton density and diffusion tensor imaging, with techniques of digital image processing. An example model of canine ventricles is developed and presented using three dimensional visualization.