A combined computational fl uid dynamics (CFD) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methodology has been developed to simulate blood fl ow in a subject-specifi c left heart. The research continues from earlier experience in modelling the human left ventricle using timevarying anatomical MR scans. Breathing artefacts are reduced by means of an MR navigator echo sequence with feedback to the subject, allowing a near constant breath-hold diaphragm position. An improved interactive segmentation

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... nique for the long-and short-axis anatomical slices is used. The computational domain is extended to include the proximal left atrium and ascending aorta as well as the left ventricle, and the mitral and aortic valve orifi ces are approximately represented. The CFD results show remarkable correspondence with the MR velocity data acquired for comparison purposes, as well as with previously published in vivo experiments (velocity and pressure). Coherent vortex formation is observed below the mitral valve, with a larger anterior vortex dominating the late diastolic phases. Some quantitative discrepancies exist between the CFD and MRI fl ow velocities, due to the limitations of the MR dataset in the valve region, heart rate differences in the anatomical and velocity acquisitions, and certain phenomena that were not simulated. The CFD results compare well with measured ranges in literature.