An application of turbulent jet theory in the context of information available from Doppler ultrasound yielded a new noninvasive technique for quantification of valvular insufficiency, a common and serious disorder associated with many types of heart disease. Current research continues in the areas of cardiovascular fluid dynamics and Doppler ultrasound, with a majority of the work being directed toward heart disease in children. Engineering approaches are being applied to various problems in pediatric cardiology such as valvular and sub- valvular stenosis, ventricular septal defects, and detection of pulmonary hypertension. Each of these conditions presents a unique fluid mechanical problem. Physiologic pulsatile flow models are constructed which model these conditions in vitro and the resultant flow fields are studied using traditional engineering tools such as laser Doppler anemometry and flow visualization, and clinical tools such as spectral and color Doppler flow mapping.
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults in the United States.
This condition is preceded by a breakdown in the autoregulatory mechanisms which control blood flow, leading to altered flow and neovascularization in the retina. This method is currently being applied to diabetic patients in studies which should produce earlier detection of altered retinal hemodynamics than is currently available. Dr. Cape is also involved with the organ transplantation program at the Children's Hospital. He is working with clinicians to develop a system of noninvasive Doppler echocardiographic and electrocardiographic measurements which will signal rejection in heart transplant patients. Proceedings, World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Part 2, p. 966.