  Purpose: The mechanics of the mitral valve leaflet as a nonlinear, inelastic
and anisotropic soft tissue results from an integrated response of many
mathematical/physical indexes' that illustrate the tissue. In the past decade,
finite element modeling of complete heart valves has greatly aided evaluation
of heart valve surgery, design of bioprosthetic valve replacements, and general
understanding of healthy and abnormal cardiac function. Such a model must be
based on an accurate description of the mechanical behavior of the valve
material. It is essential to calculate velocity/displacement and strain
rate/strain at a component level that is to work at the cellular level. In this
study we developed the first three-dimensional displacement vectors field in
the characterization of mitral valve leaflets in continuum equations of
inelasticity framework based on echocardiography.
  Method: Much of our knowledge of abnormal mitral valve function is based on
surgical and post-mortem studies while these studies are quantitative in some
cases, they are limited by evaluation of valve anatomy in a fixed and
nonfunctioning state. A more sophisticated analysis method is necessary to gain
a full considerate of mitral valve function. Several groups attempted to model
mitral valve anatomy and function by mathematical/physical equations.
  Result: Preliminary results concerning a different aspect of MVL
biomechanics, such as leaflets dynamics, displacements/velocities and strain
rates/strains of points on leaflets, were in good agreement with in
echocardiographic observations.
