The Nematic Chiral Liquid Crystal Structure of the Cardiac Myoarchitecture: Disclinations and Topological Singularities

Abstract

This is our second article devoted to the cardiac myoarchitecture considered as a nematic chiral liquid crystal (NCLC). While the first article focused on the myoarchitecture of the left ventricle (LV), this new article extends to the whole ventricular mass and introduces the concept of disclinations and topological singularities, which characterize the differences and relationships between the left and right ventricles (RV). At the level of the ventricular apices, we constantly observed a vortex shape at the LV apex, corresponding, in the terminology of liquid crystals, to a “+1 disclination”; we never observed this at the RV apex. At the level of the interventricular septum (IVS), we identified “−1/2 disclinations” at the anterior and posterior parts. During the perinatal period, there was a significant difference in their distribution, with more “−1/2 disclinations” in the posterior part of the IVS. After birth, concomitant to major physiological changes, the number of “−1/2 disclinations” significantly decreased, both in the anterior and posterior parts of the IVS. Finally, the description of the disclinations must be considered in any attempt to segment the whole ventricular mass, in biomechanical studies, and, more generally, for the characterization of myocardial remodeling.