•  
  •  
 

Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal

Abstract

Excessive mechanical stresses on valvular leaflets are considered an important factor in the degeneration of cardiac porcine bioprosthetic valves. This study describes a computer-assisted numerical model of a bioprosthetic valve which estimates the magnitude and distribution of leaflet stresses. The study also describes our initial attempts to determine the influence of stent height upon leaflet stresses. Whereas lowering stent heights has been suggested to improve hemodynamics in the bioprosthetic valve region, results indicate that an increase in leaflet stresses can accompany reductions of stent height.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.