Finite Element Simulation Based Analysis of Valve-sparing Aortic Root Surgery

Abstract

The valve-sparing aortic root surgery is frequently used in the treatment of aortic root enlargement or aortic root aneurysm. The currently used common surgical practice assumes that the valve leaflets are distributed evenly around the circle defined by the aorta wall which is frequently a false assumption according to hart anatomy studies. A finite element simulation based method is proposed in this study for the analysis of the alternative surgical outcomes of the valve-sparing aortic root surgery. The simulation methods allow the definition of the aortic valve leaflet commissure positions and the diameter of the graft used to replace the aortic root. The suggested methods are able to estimate and quantitatively compare the hemodynamic functions and the robustness of the aortic valve functions. The corresponding modeling environment makes possible the easy definition of the patient specific aortic root model that is used as an input of the simulation. The initial validation of the simulation method was done by a real patient data based simulation study. These results suggest that the currently used surgical practice can be improved.