By combing the technologies of high-spatial resolution computed tomography, computer-aided design software, and fused dual-material 3D printing, we demonstrate that patient-specific models can replicate both the anatomic and functional properties of severe degenerative aortic valve stenosis.

Echocardiographic evaluation of diastolic properties and assessment of hemodynamic status of the right and the left ventricle have been traditionally applied for many years in clinical practice. Establishment of diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction, grading, and estimation of filling pressures noninvasively adds prognostic information to the clinician, which may affect treatment management. Novel methods, including left atrium strain, left ventricular diastolic strain rate, and left ventricular untwisting rate, have been imported in clinical practice attempting to provide a more comprehensive and more accurate understanding of the mechanisms and diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction.

Our study demonstrates that left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is associated with an abnormal CAC score even after adjusting for Framingham Risk Score or clinical risk factors. Patients without known coronary artery disease that present with chest pain and have normal perfusion imaging with evidence of abnormal diastolic function on echocardiogram may warrant more thorough evaluation for coronary atherosclerotic disease with CAC score assessment.

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