3-D flow visualization for construction of the model of the blood flow in the heart

The authors have been developing a model of blood flow in the heart. The flow model of the heart enables us to estimate the entire blood flow of the heart from a couple of 2-D color Doppler images. Therefore, the load on patients is expected to be reduced. To develop the model of the heart, precise observation and an understanding of the blood flow are indispensable; because the flow is strongly related to thr diagnosis of heart diseases. The visualization method must have the following features: (1) 3-D (2) objectivity (3) interactivity and (4) multi-aspect. The authors have developed visualization methods to meet the above-mentioned requirements and evaluated the proposed methods with the in-vitro flow data set. The results clearly reveal that the proposed system enables the researchers of the modeling group to obtain the stale of entire flow, such as the occurrence of turbulence.