Modeling cardiac growth: an alternative approach

Models of cardiac growth might assist in clinical decision
making, in particular for long-term prognosis of the effect of interventions.
Most growth models strictly enforce the amount and direction
of volume change and prevent runaway growth by limiting maximum
growth. These assumptions have been questioned. We propose an alternative
model for cardiac growth, in which the actual volume change of
a tissue element is determined by the desired volume change in that
element and the degree to which this change is resisted by the surrounding
tissue. The model was evaluated on its ability to reproduce a stable
healthy left ventricular configuration under normal hemodynamic load.
A homeostatic equilibrium state could not be obtained, which might be
due to limitations in the mechanics model or an inadequate stimuluseffect
relation in the growth model. Still, the basic idea underlying the
model could be an interesting alternative to current growth models.