Influence of Aortic Valve Leaflet Material Model on Hemodynamic Features in Healthy and Pathological States

Abstract

Long-term fiber tissue remodeling and the progressive thickening of the aortic valve leaflets called calcific aortic stenosis lead to cardiac blood outflow obstruction. This disease is the most prevalent heart valve pathology in developed countries. Surgeons can perform aortic valve replacement through traditional open-heart surgery involving a cut (incision) in the chest or use minimally invasive methods such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). These types of surgery have numerous advantages and limitations. Recently, the Ozaki operation for aortic valve replacement using tissue from the autologous pericardium has been proposed. Despite being a promising technique for aortic valve pathology treatment, there is a lack of long-term results and optimal selection of leaflet sizing. Numerical fluid simulations can help surgeons predict operation outcomes for each patient. Nevertheless, the description of the material model for leaflet mechanics leaves an open question. Furthermore, selecting the most suitable model to describe the different conditions of the aortic valve is difficult. We performed a numerical analysis of aortic valve leaflet material models to describe the hemodynamics in normal, pathological, and Ozaki cases. We also reveal wall shear stress, von Mises stress, and displacement distributions. Based on the parameters mentioned above, we found that the Ozaki case model behaved similarly to the mathematical model describing the normal case. Numerical simulations also provide information on the mechanisms of aortic valve work in different states of the heart cycle.

Fluid–Structure Interaction Aortic Valve Surgery Simulation: A Review

“…To perform an accurate dynamic analysis that includes modeling of blood flow during the cardiac cycle in combination with the structural mechanics of the valve, FSI analysis is necessary because it considers both the structural and fluid flow domains [125,126]. The Arbitrary Lagrange-Euler method (ALE) [45], smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) [127], and the IBM (immersed boundary method), as well as the Lattice Boltzmann Method [48] are currently the three most popular methods for solving FSI problems in hemodynamic studies. The ALE and SPH methods are commonly used to study blood flow in the cardiovascular system and its interaction with rigid bodies, such as mechanical valves [128][129][130][131][132][133].…”

“…Also, the lack of medical data plays an important role. For example, studies that show potential significant improvements in transvalvular systolic gradient, blood flow, aortic The Arbitrary Lagrange-Euler method (ALE) [45], smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) [127], and the IBM (immersed boundary method), as well as the Lattice Boltzmann Method [48] are currently the three most popular methods for solving FSI problems in hemodynamic studies. The ALE and SPH methods are commonly used to study blood flow in the cardiovascular system and its interaction with rigid bodies, such as mechanical valves [128][129][130][131][132][133].…”

Numerical Method for Geometrical Feature Extraction and Identification of Patient-Specific Aorta Models in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease

“…Over the past several decades, traditional modeling methods such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have been used to assist surgery [9][10][11]. This method has found applications in medical research and helps fill gaps in knowledge about processes occurring in aortas with different pathologies.…”