Computational analyses of mechanically induced collagen fiber remodeling in the aortic heart valve
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Published on: April 9, 2018
Niels J Driessen1, Ralf A Boerboom, Jacques M Huyghe
1Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Laboratory for Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands. n.j.b.driessen@tue.nl
Abstract:
To optimize the mechanical properties and integrity of tissue-engineered aortic heart valves, it is necessary to gain insight into the effects of mechanical stimuli on the mechanical behavior of the tissue using mathematical models. In this study, a finite-element (FE) model is presented to relate changes in collagen fiber content and orientation to the mechanical loading condition within the engineered construct. We hypothesized that collagen fibers aligned with principal strain directions and that collagen content increased with the fiber stretch. The results indicate that the computed preferred fiber directions run from commissure to commissure and show a strong resemblance to experimental data from native aortic heart valves.
