Research Abstract:
My research interests are in the use of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging techniques to evaluate heart function. Specifically, I have been studying diseases of the heart, such as left ventricular hypertrophy that develops from high blood pressure. In the early stages of this disease, the heart function is normal and the walls of the myocardium become thickened. In the late stages of the disease, the walls become thin, the heart dilates, and the contractile function decreases. The reasons for this decrease have not been established, but animal data suggest that alterations in myocardial blood flow lead to changes in metabolic substrate utilization (i.e., glucose and fatty acids), and that these changes result in the heart becoming a less efficient pump. My research involves elucidation of some of the mechanisms that lead to this decompensated state in patients.
Selected Publications:
Last Updated: 08/21/2008 |