Electromechanical Computational Model of the Human Stomach
Please login to view abstract download link
Health problems related to the mechanics of the stomach are among the most important causes of morbidity worldwide. Yet, the mechanics of the stomach remains poorly understood, especially compared to the cardiovascular system. Currently, modeling of the stomach lags around one to two decades behind the cardiovascular system. To help close this gap, we present a comprehensive computational model of the motility of the stomach. It uses the finite element method (FEM) to capture the mechanics and electrophysiology of the stomach and can leverage patient-specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Muscular contractions are represented by an active-strain and a modified Mitchell-Schaeffer model. Non-uniform mechanical and electrophysiological parameters are defined by solving several Laplace–Dirichlet problems. Our model reproduces essential phenomena of gastric electromechanics like slow wave entrainment and the propagation of ring-shaped peristaltic contraction waves. It can reproduce also pathological disorders of gastric motility. This makes it a powerful tool for in silico studies of the mechanics of the stomach in health and disease. Such studies promise to unravel for the first time the detailed mechanisms behind prevalent pathologies such as dyspepsia (difficult digestion), which affects 10% - 45% of the general population worldwide.
