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Visualization techniques for the developing chicken heart

We present a geometric surface parameterization algorithm and several visualization techniques adapted to the problem of understanding the 4D peristaltic-like motion of the outflow tract (OFT) in an embryonic chick heart. We illustrated the techniques using data from hearts under normal conditions (four embryos), and hearts in which blood flow conditions are altered through OFT banding (four embryos). The overall goal is to create quantitative measures of the temporal heart-shape change both within a single subject and between multiple subjects. These measures will help elucidate how altering hemodynamic conditions changes the shape and motion of the OFT walls, which in turn influence the stresses and strains on the developing heart, causing it to develop differently. We take advantage of the tubular shape and periodic motion of the OFT to produce successively lower dimensional visualizations of the cardiac motion (e.g. curvature, volume, and cross-section) over time, and quantifications of such visualizations.