Image-based Modelling of Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is one of the major health issues in Europe affecting 6 million patients. One frequent cause of heart failure are pressure-volume overload conditions that are induced by valve disease or congenital heart diseases. However, the reasons why individuals (of the same aetiology) develop only a modest whereas others a severe form of heart failure remains poorly understood. Current clinical guidelines are helpful for planning of when and how to intervene in pressure volume overload conditions. However, guidelines are largely simplifying conditions and are mostly based on populations that yield large inter-individual variability. Accordingly, outcomes can differ largely. Personalized methods that are able to simulate (predict) the clinical course of disease. Image based modelling yields large promises and evolved in the past years from basic research to first clinical application. Future research will aim to couple image based modelling at the organ level with models of the tissue and cell level using omics data as input (multiscale approach).