A patient-specific aortic valve model based on moving resistive immersed implicit surfaces.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Medical Imaging Analysis

Background:

• Accurate simulation of blood flow in the aorta, particularly concerning valve dynamics, is crucial for understanding cardiovascular health.
• Existing models often lack patient-specific details or struggle to integrate complex fluid-structure interactions involving heart valves.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive computational framework for patient-specific simulation of aortic hemodynamics, including aortic valve motion.
• To integrate advanced fluid dynamics and fluid-structure interaction models for realistic representation of blood flow and valve behavior.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ad hoc algorithms to reconstruct patient-specific aortic lumen and valve surfaces directly from medical images.
• Developed a novel 3D-0D fluid-structure interaction model employing level set functions and a resistive penalization term within the Navier-Stokes equations.
• Implemented a finite element formulation with SUPG stabilization and coupled 3D fluid and 0D valve models via a staggered approach.

Main Results:

• Successfully simulated patient-specific aortic hemodynamics, including intricate valve leaflet movement between closed and open states.
• Captured the sharp pressure gradients across the valve leaflets, a critical hemodynamic phenomenon.
• Visualized detailed blood flow patterns within the aorta, demonstrating the framework's predictive capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The proposed computational framework enables accurate, patient-specific simulation of aortic hemodynamics and valve dynamics.
• This approach provides a powerful tool for clinical research and potentially for diagnosing and planning treatments for cardiovascular conditions affecting the aorta and its valve.